Dunkin’ Franchisees and Crew Members in Central New York Celebrate 10 Years of Volunteering and Supporting Hunger Relief with $50,000 Grant to Food Bank of Central New York

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (April 10, 2024) – The Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation®, the charitable foundation supported by Dunkin’, celebrates its 10^th annual volunteer month this April. Nationwide, nearly 2,000 Dunkin’ franchisees and crew members will be volunteering their time at more than 100 events at food banks in unison with Inspire Brand’s “Good Citizens Month.”

In honor of its 10-year commitment to volunteerism, the Joy in Childhood Foundation is announcing $1 million in grants supporting food access programs to help end childhood hunger. This announcement follows a recent $550,000 grant to Feeding America, which is currently being distributed to affiliated food banks.

On Tuesday, Dunkin’ and the Joy in Childhood Foundation surprised Food Bank of Central New York with a $50,000 grant to support its child hunger programming, including backpack, school pantry and summer food programs. Dunkin’ volunteers also packed 230 boxes of food, the equivalent of 4,792 meals.

Food Bank of Central New York serves as the main food distribution hub for hundreds of partner agencies that comprise the emergency food network in its eleven-county service region across Central and Northern New York. The Food Bank provides more than 18.6 million pounds of food – the equivalent of 15.5 million meals – to hungry families, children and elderly every year.

“The Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation brings together franchisees, restaurant crew members and corporate employees to give back and spread joy to the local communities in which we live and work,” said Central New York Dunkin’ Franchisee Tom Santurri. “I am excited to celebrate a decade of volunteerism in Central New York and another $1 million commitment to support programs helping end childhood hunger.”

The Joy in Childhood Foundation’s “month of joy” will include over 100 volunteer events in 35 states. In 2014, the Foundation began hosting an annual “week of joy” with volunteer events organized across the country for franchisees, crew members and Dunkin’ corporate employees to give back by volunteering at local food banks. This program evolved into a month-long initiative, with a record 100+ events last April. This year marks the Foundation’s 10^th year with over 30,000 hours volunteered in food banks across the country to date.

In 2022, 44 million people—1 in 5 children—faced food insecurity in the U.S. The end of pandemic-era relief efforts and increasing food costs have significantly impacted peoples’ abilities to put food on the table.

Since 2015, the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation has granted nearly $11 million to over 1,500 hunger relief organizations. Of that, $6.25 million has directly supported Feeding America’s childhood hunger-relief efforts. As part of its continued support of Feeding America, the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation, alongside Dunkin’ franchisees, brand employees and crew members, volunteer at food banks across the country throughout the year.

To learn more about the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation and its impact, visit www.joyinchildhoodfoundation.org and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

About Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation
The Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation, the charitable foundation supported by Dunkin’, provides the simple joys of childhood to kids battling hunger or illness. The Foundation partners with food banks, children’s hospitals, and nonprofit organizations to help support kids when they need it most. Since 2006, the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation has granted $49 million to hundreds of national and local charities across the country thanks to the generosity of its franchisees, guests, vendor partners, and employees. For more information, please visit www.bringjoy.org.