Capital Region McDonald’s Restaurants Donate Another $200,000 to Local Charities

ALBANY, NY (07/31/2007)(readMedia)-- The McDonald’s Operators of the Capital Region Co-op today announced that in the first six months of this year, the 72 restaurants in the Co-op donated more than $200,000 to non-profit organizations in local communities served by McDonald’s.

According to Clark W. Brink, president of the Co-op, “We are pleased to continue the tradition begun by Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald’s, who believed strongly in giving back to the communities supporting our restaurants. I am proud to say that our employees have worked diligently and enthusiastically to help raise funds for local organizations that request and need our assistance."

McDonald's customers have always been generous donors to the special events hosted in the Capital District restaurants, as well as to the Ronald McDonald House in the region, donating $94,000 to the "Hearts" program for the benefit of the House.

Although not a requirement of owning a McDonald’s restaurant, the owners and staff of the 72 restaurants in the Capital Region Co-op, stretching from Malden to Warrensburg, from Albany to Cobleskil1, to Western Massachusetts and Southern Vermont have been key supporters of the Ronald McDonald House of Albany since its foundation. The McDonald’s owners contribute both time and money to the House, which cares for the family of seriously ill children in local hospitals and which supports other local non-profit organizations through its Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Local non-profit organizations also benefit from the McDonald's charitable spirit. Individual restaurant owners, their employees and their customers support schools by sponsoring “School Nites” program in their restaurants, raising dollars for teams and other school organizations. Parents and teachers serve food in the restaurant for an evening and a portion of the cost of the food is donated to the school group. Also, men and women of McDonald’s throughout the Capital Region sponsor golf tournaments, donate time and money to organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, contribute to their churches, to hospitals and nursing homes, and donate food and supplies for non-profit events. Recently, many of the restaurants participated in the WGY "Race for the Kids" promotion to benefit the Children's Hospital at Albany Medical Center.

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Local News Note: For a listing of the non-profit organizations in your local community which received donations from the Capital Region McDonald’s recently, contact Mary Scanlan at mary@scanlancg.com.

McDonald’s is the leading foodservice provider in the United States serving a variety of wholesome foods made from quality ingredients to millions of customers every day. More than 80 percent of McDonald’s 13,700 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by local franchisees.

The McDonald’s Operators of the Capital Region Co-op consists of 20 owner/operators who own 72 restaurants in the following counties: Albany, Bennington (VT), Berkshire (MA), Columbia, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Rutland (VT), Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Ulster, Warren and Washington. McDonald’s Operators of the Capital Region are equal opportunity employers, committed to a diverse workforce.

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