Amarillo Dutch Bros hosts fundraiser benefiting United Way
Amarillo Dutch Bros locations hosted a fundraiser Friday, where a portion of the proceeds from every drink sold will benefit the United Way (UW) of Amarillo and Canyon.
The fundraising event was held at all four Dutch Bros locations in Amarillo. According to Joshua Lawson, lead Mob (manager) for the Coulter Interstate Dutch Bros location, on average the shops make approximately $4,000 in sales, and although the locations don't have a specific goal for how much they are hoping to raise for UW, they know that the community turnout is exceeding their expectations.
"Our customers have really shown out today, and so it has been a great turnout. We are donating a dollar from each drink purchased, including gift cards and app funds, and donating it to United Way. We are also asking customers if they would like to round up their change and donate, so that is added as well," Lawson said.
According to Jason McCoy, Senior Resource Development Director with United Way, Dutch Bros reached out to the non-profit, hoping to include them in their fundraising event. McCoy states that the funds raised during the Friday fundraiser will benefit their programs helping individuals in poverty, those on the line of poverty, veterans, children, women in recovery and much more.
"Dutch Bros reached out to us for this partnership because they are very community minded and were looking for a way to support the area. When they do things like this, it not only helps us monetarily, but it also created awareness for United Way, which allows more people to ask questions and look into what we do. And that helps us to reach more people who might want to donate, or volunteer, or who need help," McCoy said.
"The amount of people that we help, which last year was about 57,000 people, and if you look at the population of Amarillo and Canyon, that is about 26% of the population, and to break it down even further to the cost that it takes to change a person's life in a year is only $23. So, think of how many lives the funds here alone could affect in our community," McCoy added.
United Way stated that every dollar counts in their fundraising efforts to support the community, with $.98 of every dollar coming back into the community to support those in the Texas Panhandle area. Raul Rodarte-Suto, Community Initiatives Manager with UW, spoke about the significance of the community participating in the event to give back to those in need and how every dollar adds up.
"This feels empowering; those that come through and ask questions or donate are empowering the community. Every nickel, every dime affects somebody in a positive way, and that just blows our mind. We, as a community, have gone through a lot in the last 10 years, and we want to make sure that we are reaching out at all levels. And we show that in our programs, reaching out to children in elementary through high school, senior citizens, and everyone in between, and we are really focusing on those just above the (poverty) line — those at risk, who are one broken refrigerator away from that domino effect, leading the family into poverty," Rodarte-Suto said.
The non-profit also spoke about their new goal this year to reach pre-pandemic fundraising, with this year's fundraising goal amount to be announced in early September.
Last year, United Way had an overall fundraising goal of $3.5 million, which they exceeded by $80,000. This year, the organization hopes to raise their goal once more and provide even more support for those in need throughout the community.
UW's Kickoff event announcing their fundraising goal is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 8:30 a.m. in the Amarillo Civic Center Heritage Room.
For more information on UW, visit them online at https://www.unitedwayama.org/ or follow them on Facebook or Instagram .
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Dutch Bros hosts United Way fundraiser Friday
