P. Terry's to donate all profits on Saturday to Season for Caring

Nicole Villalpando, Austin American-Statesman
·3 min read

Cheeseburger or veggie burger, fries or an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, milkshake or lemonade — whatever you order on the P. Terry's menu Saturday — all of it will help families throughout Central Texas.

All 19 Central Texas P. Terry's locations and the spinoff Taco Ranch will donate 100% of the profits for that day to the Statesman's Season for Caring program.

Season for Caring tells the stories of local families nominated by area nonprofit organizations. Through monetary donations and gifts of in-kind goods and services, the program takes care of those families' needs first but also helps hundreds of other Central Texas families through its partner nonprofit organizations.

This year Season for Caring is supporting 11 local nonprofit organizations: Any Baby Can, Austin Palliative Care, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area, Dress for Success Austin, Family Eldercare, Foundation Communities, Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, Hospice Austin, Interfaith Action of Central Texas, Meals on Wheels Central Texas and Wonders & Worries.

This is the 13th year P. Terry's has dedicated its December Giving Back Day to Season for Caring. Last year, the program raised $40,120 for Season for Caring. Since 2009, the restaurant has donated $313,347 to Season for Caring through its Giving Back Day.

Giving Back Day: P. Terry's donates $40,120 to Season for Caring

Season for Caring "puts a stronger light on people's real needs," P. Terry's co-founder Patrick Terry said last year. "Central Texans are hurting."

"You can't forget there are families that make a choice every day of what basic need to forgo to survive," co-founder Kathy Terry said last year. "A lot of us can't comprehend making that choice. We take for granted basic needs.

"We are so fortunate we can be a part of this."

This year Season for Caring includes the stories of Shilda Fresch, a mom who grew up in foster care and has brought in five foster children of her own; Tahaguas Abraha, a University of Texas freshman, who walked across the border between Eritrea and Ethiopia as a 12-year-old to get a better education; and BJ Lentz, a musician who lost much of her vision after a concussion.

P. Terry's has given more than $1.3 million to community organizations since it opened with one store on Lamar Boulevard near Barton Springs Road in 2005.

Most of the charity comes through the quarterly Giving Back Day program, but the company also gives in-kind donations of food and gift certificates to community groups throughout the year.

This year, Giving Back Days in Austin have supported the Central Texas Food Bank, the Dell Children's Foundation and Just: Financial Support for Women.

P. Terry's opened its first San Antonio location this year. In that area, its Giving Back Day benefited Lift Fund in the fall and will support August Heart on Saturday.

“The Giving Back Day allows everyone to participate,” Kathy Terry said in 2019, after P. Terry's reached $1 million in giving. “A little kid can buy a cookie, and he knows a portion of that is going to be going to a nonprofit. It also shows if we all participate how much we can all truly move the needle.”

Donate to Statesman Season for Caring

Now through Christmas, the Sheth family is matching up to $500,000 in donations.

Find out more about Season for Caring, read the stories of the featured families and make a donation at statesman.com/seasonforcaring. You also can find a coupon and mail in a donation on Page 2B.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: P. Terry's will donate profits on Saturday to Statesman Season for Caring