For the second year in row, Paul Hitzelberger, president of Del Taco franchisee Utah Del Inc., formally presented a sizeable donation January 19 to the Utah National Guard Charitable Trust on behalf of the Del Taco restaurants in Utah.
After completing a fundraising promotion to support Utah National Guard (UTNG) Kids in his 21 Del Taco restaurants, Hitzelberger and senior directors of Utah Del personally delivered a $19,000 check to Maj. Gen. Brian Tarbet, adjutant general of the Utah National Guard, who received it on the Trust’s behalf.
The Utah restaurant chain held the December promotion in its 21 stores statewide, where customers were invited to make $1 donations to benefit UTNG Kids.
“We’re pleased to be teamed up with you and doing it for the kids,” said Hitzelberger to Utah Guard members at the presentation. “It’s all about the family.”
“It’s nice to be back with a larger check this year,” Hitzelberger added, recalling the $15,000 donation Utah Del Inc. made to the Trust last year. “Our customer base loves supporting the National Guard. It’s not difficult to raise the money for the kids.”
“When you consider what the business environment is like, to see them do this on a recurring basis is especially gratifying,” Tarbet said. Utah Del’s donation will go directly to support youth camps and other UTNG Kids activities for children of Utah National Guard members.
“This goes where you want it to go—every nickel,” Tarbet assured Hitzelberger of Del Taco’s donation. “This is a wonderful gesture of generosity. We thank you, and we thank your customers.”
Created in 2005 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit entity, the funds of the Utah National Guard Charitable Trust assist Utah military families with medical, home, or property emergencies, lost wages, travel expenses of wounded Soldiers’ families, or other unexpected financial needs that arise during deployment of their Service member. Funds also support programs like UTNG Kids.
Since its inception, the Trust has disbursed more than $400,000 among hundreds of families, typically to offset financial hardships incurred during deployment of their Servicemember.
