Continuing a more than 30-year history of supporting foster care adoption, Wendy’s helped raise a record-breaking $22.6 million benefiting the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption over the last year including fundraising programs like “Make A Biggie Difference” sponsored by Coca-Cola and Keurig Dr Pepper, coin canister collection, Boo! Books, and Frosty Key Tags.
Wendy’s cause marketing efforts include fund-raising and fan-raising for their signature cause. Over the last three decades, Wendy’s has motivated its fans and restaurant teams to raise more than $310 million for the Foundation to help find loving, permanent homes for more children lingering in foster care. Dollars raised directly advance the Foundation’s mission to dramatically increase the number of adoptions of the more than 113,000 children in the U.S. currently waiting to be adopted from foster care.
“We are so grateful to every single Wendy’s customer who purchased a Boo! Books coupon book, a Frosty Key Tag, scanned our carryout bags during Make a Biggie Difference, or dropped spare change in our coin collection canisters,” says Lindsay Radkoski, Wendy’s U.S. Chief Marketing Officer. “Every year, nearly 20,000 youth in the U.S. age out of foster care without a forever family, but our partnership with the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is making a life-changing difference.”
An Unprecedented Goal Reached
The Wendy’s System of franchisees, operators, and crew members raised a record-breaking $9.2 million through Boo! Books during its 20th campaign. Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products and DC joined forces with Wendy’s for the first time. The DC-inspired coupon book had five coupons for free Jr. Frosty treats featuring iconic Frosty characters dressed up as DC Super Heroes, plus a sixth coupon for a $1.99 Wendy’s Kids’ Meal with any purchase. Wendy’s $1 Boo! Books were available from September 4, 2023 through November 5, 2023.
In honor of National Adoption Month in November, Wendy’s brought back the fan-favorite Frosty Key Tags. Available November 20, 2023 through February 18, 2024, Wendy’s fans could buy a $3 Frosty Key Tag to score a free Jr. Frosty with purchase all year long – a sweet deal for an even sweeter cause. Through Frosty Key Tags, Wendy’s reached $12.5 million raised to advance the Foundation’s critical work.
“The Wendy’s family has been an incredible supporter and champion of the Foundation’s mission,” says Rita Soronen, President & CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. “Together, we have helped find permanent, loving families for more than 14,000 children in foster care across the U.S. and Canada. Funds raised through Wendy’s mean we can continue expanding our national awareness campaigns and innovative programs to serve more children still waiting for the stability and security of a forever home.”
Wendy’s Commitment to Adoption
Dave Thomas, Wendy’s founder, was adopted when he was six weeks old. In 1992, he established the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. The Foundation and Wendy’s share a commitment to achieving Thomas’s vision that every child has a permanent home and a loving family. Through its signature program, Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, the Foundation supports the hiring of adoption professionals, known as recruiters, who are dedicated to finding permanent families for children in foster care who are too often overlooked. That includes teenagers, children with special needs, and siblings. A rigorous, five-year national evaluation revealed that children referred to the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program are up to three times more likely to be adopted from foster care.
