Back To School Buckets: KFC Says Thanks To Educators Heading Back To Work

During the past months, the fried chicken franchise chain KFC has launched a number of initiatives in the U.S. to support those in need during the pandemic. It started back in March 2020, with the announcement that they were going to be donating one million pieces of chicken to its restaurants across the country to help feed communities in need, at no cost to its franchisees, and donating $400,000 to the Blessings in a Backpack project to help school children who might otherwise go hungry during the period of school closures.

May 2020 saw the brand make a significant donation to US food banks, and now the “Back to School Buckets” initiative is intended to support teachers and other school workers heading back to school across America. One million pieces of chicken will be delivered to its franchisees, and in turn delivered to local teachers, who represent “America’s new wave of frontline workers”. The scheme will run until the end of September and will involve franchisees taking on projects like catering in-service training meetings for teachers and administrators, delivering buckets of chicken to teachers preparing their virtual curriculum, or feeding the staff working on school sites to keep campuses and students clean and safe.

“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, Chief Marketing Officer for KFC in the U.S. “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!”

And the brand isn’t stopping there. They’ve also been encouraging fried chicken fans across the country to show their support for the teachers they personally know and love by nominating an individual to receive a KFC gift card to go towards the purchase of a Bucket meal to enjoy with their family as a token of appreciation from KFC.

KFC has a long history of philanthropic efforts, dating back to their famous founder Colonel Sanders who after selling KFC to a group of investors in 1964 , donated most of his wealth to charities, churches and hospitals. It encourages its franchisees to adopt a philanthropic approach too. In April 2020 it announced that its franchisees would be joining forces to create a Grocery Assistance Fund, providing grocery gift cards to thousands of U.S. employees working in its stores during the pandemic.

Of course, KFC isn’t the only quick-service franchise brand to have given away free food or to “go kind” during the pandemic – here in the UK, Taco Bell made a significant cash donation to the NHS and gave away free Tacos every Tuesday in August, and Domino’s and McDonald’s offered free meals to NHS workers. There have been many others businesses too who have stepped up to the plate and delivered positive benefits, discounts and rewards to aid communities. Of course, these companies have reaped significant PR benefits as a result of their initiatives and no doubt have won over new customers for their franchisees moving forward. However, these projects also serve as a reminder of how business leaders and franchisors can make a difference and affect change in these most challenging of times. And there’s a real appetite not only for fried chicken but for good news stories right now.