Chick-fil-A have announced a partnership with a North Belfast homeless charity for a food donation programme. The move comes a week before their first restaurant in Northern Ireland - and first outside of North America - opens its doors.
The American chain restaurant has teamed up with The People's Kitchen as part of their Shared Table™ programme, an initiative which redirects surplus food to local soup kitchens, shelters, food banks, and nonprofits. The surplus food will be re-distributed to the charity at the end of each working day.
As part of the partnership, representatives from the food outlet donated £25,000 to the homeless outreach charity based on the Antrim Road on Thursday, January 23.
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Each morning, The People's Kitchen supports 80 to 100 people at their drop-in service with breakfast and referrals to other services, including housing, addiction, and benefits services, with support for many more people through their daily city centre outreach. Each week, the charity supports around 1,000 people.
Speaking to Belfast Live about their new partnership with Chick-fil-A, Paul McCusker from The People's Kitchen said: "We run entirely on donations from the public so the financial support from Chick-fil-A but also that partnership is so exciting for the team. Our volunteers couldn't believe it when they heard the news.
"It's definitely going to be supporting a lot of people, the chicken will be a big help here and the donation will be well used towards our services. It will make a real difference to the lives of those we support across Belfast.
"The funding will allow us to provide even more meals to individuals and families who are struggling with hunger, homelessness, and food insecurity. Partnerships like this are vital in helping us continue our outreach work and ensuring that no one in our community goes without a hot meal or a helping hand when they need it."
This partnership marks the first in the UK as part of Chick-fil-A's agreement with Neighbourly, an organisation that helps connect businesses with charities to make a positive impact in local communities.
“We're delighted to partner with Chick-fil-A as they make their entry into the UK market, starting with this meaningful initiative in Belfast,” said Steve Butterworth, Chief Executive Officer for Neighbourly.
“This collaboration exemplifies how businesses can make a real difference in local communities from day one of their operations. Through Neighbourly's platform, we'll help Chick-fil-A build lasting relationships with local charity partners across the UK, ensuring their surplus food reaches those who need it most.
Last year, the Shared Table™ programme helped create more than 7 million meals from surplus food donated by participating Chick-fil-A restaurants throughout the U.S. and Canada
"We are excited to bring Chick-fil-A to Belfast with the opening of our Applegreen licensed location, marking a key milestone in our expansion into the UK," said Joanna Symonds, Head of UK Operations for Chick-fil-A, Inc. "From day one, we’ve strived to positively impact each and every community in which we operate, and we look forward to continuing that tradition."
The brand plans to open five restaurants, both licensed and locally owned and operated models, across the UK in the first two years. Other locations will include London, Leeds and Liverpool.
Chick-fil-A is known for creating a welcoming restaurant experience, starting with friendly service, a warm welcome and quality food.
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English (United States) ·