With millions more children facing hunger than before the pandemic hit, QDOBA, the leading fast-casual Mexican restaurant, today announced it is partnering with No Kid Hungry, a national campaign to end childhood hunger in America, for its fifth consecutive year supporting the organization’s fall fundraising efforts. Since the partnership was established in 2017, QDOBA has raised over half a million dollars for No Kid Hungry through in-store and online donations, which can help provide up to 5 million meals to children in need.
Before the pandemic, the number of children struggling with hunger had been steadily decreasing for a decade. According to the USDA, in 2019, 10.7 million children lived in a family considered “food insecure,” a record low. However, in the wake of the coronavirus, as many as 1 in 6 kids in the United States, or about 13 million, live in food-insecure homes and may face hunger this year.
To support this worthy cause, now through October 3, 2021, any in-restaurant guest who donates $2 to No Kid Hungry at participating QDOBA locations will receive a free order of chips and queso with the purchase of any entrée (coupon redeemable through October 10, 2021). Guests will also be able to show their support of No Kid Hungry by adding their name to a wall hanging in their local restaurant.
“Children and their families will feel the impact of the COVID-19 crisis well into the future,” says Diana Hovey, senior vice president at Share Our Strength, the organization behind the No Kid Hungry campaign. “But childhood hunger remains solvable, and we are incredibly grateful for partners like QDOBA, who make it easy for people everywhere to get involved.”
“We applaud No Kid Hungry’s outstanding efforts to end childhood hunger in America,” says Keith Guilbault, QDOBA CEO. “QDOBA is proud to have helped raise nearly $600,000 to benefit No Kid Hungry through our long-standing partnership, but food insecurity remains a serious issue. We recognize that even the smallest donation can make a big impact, and through a very simple gesture we are able to provide critical meals to children in need across the country with the help of our guests, employees and friends.”
