Chicago-born burger institution Epic Burger is giving back in a bigger, more mindful way in partnering with Generosity Feeds, a national nonprofit dedicated to making a local impact in ending child hunger. The partnership kicks off with an inspiring company-wide volunteer event at Epic Burger, followed by a truly epic fundraiser throughout all of Epic Burger’s eight Chicagoland locations beginning Friday, November 15—Sunday, November 17.
Founded on the ethos of a “more mindful” approach to fast casual dining, Epic Burger has been at the forefront of change for the better in the fast burger realm since opening in 2008. Long before it was trending, Epic Burger is credited with making monumental moves for the better throughout Chicagoland, like being the first fast casual restaurant to serve plant-based powerhouse Beyond Meat products, prioritizing inclusivity in providing Halal-certified meal preparations, plus giving back through partnerships with Friends of the Chicago River, Growing Home, and more.
Spring boarding off a decade’s worth of giving back to the community, Epic Burger is venturing into new territory by assembling a team of volunteers to pull off Epic Burger’s biggest charitable initiative to date. For an entire weekend (November 15 — 17, 2019), Epic Burger will donate a portion of all sales back to Generosity Feeds. The fundraising efforts will commence with a company-wide volunteer event on Sunday, November 10, where Epic Burger will donate the space, time and volunteers needed to assemble 10,000 nutrient rich meals for kids facing food insecurity at Chicago Public Schools.
“In partnership with Epic Burger and community volunteers, we will create nutritionally balanced and filling meals that will be taken home in backpacks every Friday afternoon for children and their families,” says Ron Klabunde, Generosity Feeds founder and CEO. “We have discovered that the value of decreasing food insecurity is more than just giving people food – it involves mobilizing people into a lifestyle of generosity.”
In a joint effort to reach Chicago’s kids in need, the 10,000 meals packed by Epic Burger volunteers, will be distributed to three local Chicago Public Schools via Blessings in a Backpack, a national nonprofit organization that feeds school children in the United States who currently are fed during the week on the federally funded Free and Reduced Meal Program and are at risk of going hungry on the weekends.
According to the University of Wisconsin Public Health Institute, in Cook County, IL, 64% of children struggle with food insecurity, without reliable access to sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. Nationwide, No Kid Hungry reports that 1 in 7 children, or over 11 million children in America live in households that lack the means to get enough food on a regular basis.
“We’re incredibly proud to help draw awareness to Generosity Feeds here in Chicago,” says Vice President of Operations of Epic Burger, Michael Cruickshank. “The stats are staggering, we first wanted to partner with Generosity Feeds as a meaningful volunteer opportunity for our Epic Burger team members, but when we saw how many kids face food insecurity in Chicago, our home, we knew we could do more for these kids and our community.”
In addition to assembling 10,000 meals for kids within Chicago Public Schools, Epic Burger will donate 20 percent of hamburger sales (including catering and food delivery orders) for every classic, all-natural beef ‘Epic Burger’ purchased between November 15 — 17 to Generosity Feeds.