Tacos 4 Life, a fast-casual taco restaurant with 25 locations across the southeastern U.S., has announced a major milestone in its mission to end world hunger by donating 30 million meals to its nonprofit partner, Feed My Starving Children (FMSC). To celebrate this achievement, Tacos 4 Life is offering a special raffle for guests. Those who watch the “Story of One” video will be entered into a raffle to win 30 free tacos, a nod to the massive donation milestone. One winner will be selected per Tacos 4 Life location. The raffle will run for two weeks and winners will be contacted via email from Tacos 4 Life.
The mission operates on a simple yet effective process: with every purchase of a taco, salad, quesadilla, rice bowl or nacho, a meal is automatically donated to FMSC. Children from more than 90 countries can access life-saving meals that are specifically designed and distributed by the nonprofit organization. By enjoying a meal at Tacos 4 Life, guests make a significant contribution and allow FMSC to continue its critical work.
“Providing 30 million meals to children in need around the world is no small feat and we are incredibly grateful to our loyal guests and amazing franchise partners for supporting us in reaching this milestone,” says Austin Samuelson, co-founder of Tacos 4 Life. “When we opened Tacos 4 Life, we began with a humble mission and hoped to make any positive impact that we could in the fight to end world hunger. Thanks to the unwavering support of our team members and guests, we could not be more proud of the milestones we’ve hit just nine years later.
On average, each Tacos 4 Life location raises 1,000 meals per day, and team members and guests have the opportunity to volunteer and pack the meals, known as MannaPacks, at locally organized MobilePack events. FMSC provides MannaPack ingredients and packaging materials and volunteers spend the day assembling meals and boxes for distribution.
“Tacos 4 Life has once again demonstrated their extraordinary dedication to our shared mission of making a positive impact in the lives of starving children,” says VP of Development and Marketing for Feed My Starving Children, Andy Carr.” Austin and Ashton’s passion and tireless efforts have set an exceptional example for all of us to follow. We feel privileged to have partnered with such a remarkable organization, and we celebrate this monumental achievement of 30 million meals donated together. The impact of their generosity will continue to be felt for years to come.”
In 2022, Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) achieved an impressive milestone by producing 447 million meals, thanks to the invaluable assistance of nearly 911,000 dedicated volunteers who packed these life-sustaining meals. Looking ahead to 2023, FMSC has set its sights even higher, aiming to produce over 460 million meals through a combination of efforts at their production sites, participation in 250+ MobilePack events and collaborations with co-packers. The anticipated crisis response efforts in areas such as Ukraine, Eastern Europe and other global refugee situations will elevate the demand for food to unprecedented levels in 2023, underscoring the critical need for FMSC’s mission.