KFC Delivering One Million Pieces Of Kentucky Fried Chicken To Teachers Across America

Through its "Back-to-School Buckets" initiative, KFC will use local fried chicken donations and gift cards to support educators as they return to school this fall

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KFC

Aug 13, 2020, 09:40 ET

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Aug. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Kentucky Fried Chicken® announced its Back-to-School Buckets initiative, which will celebrate teachers across the country who are returning to the classroom, whether virtually or in-person, amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. KFC U.S. is donating one million pieces of chicken to its franchisees to fry up and deliver to educators – America's new wave of frontline workers – within their local communities to say "thanks" for all they are doing for America's families.

Through the end of September, KFC will deliver one million pieces of chicken to teachers across the country who are returning to the classroom, virtually or in-person, through its Back-to-School Buckets initiative.

From now through the end of September, franchisees will show their appreciation to educators in their local communities as the new school-year begins. KFC U.S. restaurants will cook and serve KFC's world-famous fried chicken in a way that best serves the school systems and educators of that community, whether through catering in-service training meetings for teachers and administrators, delivering buckets of chicken to teachers preparing their virtual curriculum, or honoring the staff working tirelessly to keep campuses clean and safe.

The Back-to-School Buckets initiative is a follow up to KFC's donation of one million pieces of chicken in March, which fed thousands of frontline workers including doctors, nurses, first responders and essential workers across the country, during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"As a working mother of three young children who had to finish out the school year virtually, I have more respect and appreciation than ever for the time, energy and dedication that teachers give to their students," said Andrea Zahumensky, KFC U.S. CMO. "As teachers prepare for a new school year, whether that's in the classroom or virtually, we wanted to help in a small way by providing the comfort and familiarity of a hot, fresh and delicious bucket meal so they can check dinner off of their to-do lists!"

KFC is also encouraging fried chicken fans across the country to show their support for the teachers they personally know and love. Beginning Thursday, August 20, fans can tweet @KFC using the hashtag #KFCback2school and #sweepstakes to nominate a teacher in their community for a chance to receive a $20 KFC gift card to go towards the purchase of a Bucket meal to enjoy with their family as a token of appreciation from KFC. After tweeting, fans will receive a link tweeted back to them directing them to the online registration form. Once complete, fans will then receive a link to send to their favorite teacher for them to fill out a form to enter for a chance to win. Entries will be taken until 11:59 pm EDT, September 1, 2020. For the full official rules, prize disclosures, and how to enter, visit https://fooji.info/KFC.*

Since 1952, KFC has been bringing families together with a bucket of world-famous fried chicken. As families begin new back-to-school routines at home or in-person, KFC bucket meals, including the $20 Fill Up and new $30 Fill Up (a meal for today and tomorrow), offer the convenience of a delicious, home-cooked meal you don't have to cook.

KFC and its franchisees operate more than 4,000 U.S. restaurants, serving all 50 states, and have continued feeding America through drive-thru, delivery, and pickup (where available). Earlier this year, KFC made the following commitments to support its people, communities and franchisees during the COVID-19 pandemic:

Continuing to keep America fed: KFC is open and ready to feed your family via drive-thru, carry-out or delivery, where available. Contactless delivery options are also available. A limited number of restaurants are also open for dine-in service.

Increased safety measures for customers and team members: KFC has increased the frequency of cleaning and sanitizing in all restaurant locations and is reinforcing the already strict sanitation, handwashing, and health and wellness policies. In addition, KFC has implemented a number of new protocols to protect the health and safety of consumers and employees across the U.S. including:

The implementation of temperature checks for every employee in every restaurant prior to their shift start using thermometers with infrared contactless temperature scanners.
Requiring face coverings and single-use, disposable gloves for restaurant team members across the U.S., and guest hand-santizing stations in the lobby of every restaurant for customers.
Installation of acrylic front counter shields and social distancing floor stickers in restaurant lobbies, providing a safety barrier between team members and guests.
Using a drive-thru extender payment pad, where available, to further limit contact between customers and employees.

Supporting our team members: KFC franchisees , many of whom are small, local business owners all over the country have been working to support and celebrate their individual teams through bonuses, hourly pay increases, meals for their employees and their families, pay continuation for employees impacted by COVID-19, and a variety of other financial incentives. In addition, they joined forces to create a Grocery Assistance Fund through the KFC Foundation to provide $500,000 worth of groceries to team members across its more than 4,000 U.S. restaurants to celebrate and support its workforce.

Feeding our communities: KFC recently donated one million pieces of chicken to provide relief to communities in need, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the donation, KFC franchisees across the country were able to provide meals to organizations of their choice in their local communities. KFC's Harvest program continues during this time of increased food insecurity, with participating restaurants donating unsold food to local food banks for those in need. To date, KFC has donated more than 1.2 million pounds of food to local food banks this year.

Supporting children in need: In March, KFC announced a $400,000 donation to its national partner, Blessings in a Backpack, to provide meals to children who may otherwise go hungry due to school closures.

Providing relief to franchisees: KFC will grant franchisees a 60-day grace period on current royalties. KFC parent company Yum! Brands (including KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell) has also deferred all 2020 capital obligations for remodels and new unit development through the end of this year.

More information about KFC's efforts to support franchisees, employees and customers during the coronavirus pandemic can be found at www.kfc.com/newsroom.

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C., age 21 or older. Void where prohibited. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received.

About KFC

KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Ky., is the world's most popular chicken restaurant chain. KFC specializes in Original Recipe®, Extra Crispy™, Kentucky Grilled Chicken® and Extra Crispy™ Tenders, Hot Wings®, KFC Famous Bowls®, Pot Pies, freshly hand prepared chicken sandwiches, biscuits and homestyle side items. There are more than 24,000 KFC restaurants in 145 countries and territories around the world. KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., Louisville, Ky. (NYSE: YUM). For more information, visit www.kfc.com. Follow KFC on Facebook (www.facebook.com/kfc), Twitter (www.twitter.com/kfc) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/KFC).

SOURCE KFC