• Papa Johns will work through the Papa John’s Foundation for Building Community to donate 10 million meals in the fight against food insecurity.
• Part of the commitment includes partnering with Food Donation Connection, which coordinates surplus food donations to local hunger relief agencies.

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Working through its Papa John’s Foundation for Building Community, the Papa Johns chain has set a goal to donate 10 million meals to those fighting food insecurity over the next five years.

The plan includes donating food, making grants to hunger relief nonprofits and team member volunteering, the company said in a press release.

Madeline Chadwick, Papa Johns’ senior vice president of communications and corporate affairs, said the company’s team members and franchise partners are passionate about addressing food insecurity “and, in particular, providing meals to those in the greatest need.”

This commitment will blend food donations, grants to hunger relief organizations and team member volunteer efforts, according to a press release. “This new, bold goal is a demonstration of our commitment to eradicating hunger in our communities and our continued support of the organizations on the front lines of the hunger crisis,” she added.

Related: Heroes to go: How the pandemic became the pizza industry’s finest hour

The plan includes four strategic initiatives:

• Increasing surplus food donated by Papa Johns restaurants and cutting back on food waste by expanding the Papa Johns Harvest Program. The latter is a partnership with Food Donation Connection, which coordinates surplus food donations from Papa Johns restaurants and has delivered 3.4 million meals to families since 2010, according to a press release.
• Providing Papa John’s Foundation grants to national non-profits, including The Farmlink Project, which connects farmers to food banks, along with local organizations such as Atlanta Community Food Bank, Concrete Jungle, Second Helpings Atlanta, Dare to Care Food Bank and Kentucky Harvest.
• Empowering franchisees to help combat hunger through the Foundation’s Building Community Fund, which awards grants to local organizations. In 2021 the fund contributed nearly $1 million to 100-plus organizations in more than 40 communities.
• Serving meals directly to people in need through in-kind donations of Papa Johns pizza.

“It is so important that businesses in the food industry offer their expertise to the fight against hunger, the way Papa Johns has done for so many years,” said Jim Larson, vice president of development at Food Donation Connection.

Since 2010, Papa Johns has partnered with Food Donation Connection, which links food service businesses, who often have surplus food, to local hunger relief organizations so food waste is reduced in ways that benefit those in need. “By leveraging the passion of their people, as well as their vast retail footprint, Papa Johns has helped build a model for other similar businesses to follow.”