McDonald’s in Columbus is running a Fries for School Supplies fundraiser to raise money for local teachers
This week, the McDonald’s at 3210 23rd St. in Columbus is running a Fries for School Supplies fundraiser to raise money for local teachers, said franchise owner Cory Hall.
Through Aug. 9, 10% of the sales on à la carte fry orders will go to Columbus Public Schools, Hall said.
“It’s kind of a hectic world right now and especially with school, with kids and the teachers not knowing if there’s going to be school or online school,” Hall said. “We just wanted to help the local communities and so we came up with Fries for School Supplies.”
The Hall family has owned the Columbus McDonald’s since 1976, which Hall said has deepened the sense of wanting to give back.
“The community has done a bunch for us,” he said. “So we just like to give back to them.”
The local owner-operators in Nebraska, along with their public relations team, came up with the idea, Hall noted.
“CPS is excited to learn about this donation this year,” said Nicole Anderson, marketing and foundation director at CPS. “The CPS Foundation looks forward to partnering with McDonald’s and supporting the students of Columbus Public Schools.”
Hall is a Columbus resident and has three kids, two of whom are in school. One will be a senior and one is in sixth grade.
“It was different for them, obviously, trying to do everything online but I think kids can adapt pretty well to it,” Hall said. “As, I guess, all of us have with Zoom meetings and everything else that we have to do now.”
Hall’s stores have been doing pretty well this year.
“We haven’t really had to cut anybody’s hours much, we never let anybody go, everybody kept their job,” he said.
It has been a little difficult, Hall added.
“McDonald’s as a whole nation, we have kind of more of a limited menu just to help our speeds. Our drive-throughs are the only thing that are open right now. You can get take out I guess and to go but you can’t sit down in our dining rooms,” Hall said. “So I mean pretty much 95% of our business is drive-through right now so we’re just kind of laser-focused on the drive-through.”
Hall saw a drop-off in a way when people were scared to go out, but now it’s bounced back.
“I think people are more comfortable with drive-through, with the touch-less kind of drive-through, not having to be face-to-face with other people and all of my employees wear gloves and masks,” he said. “We have the barriers up.”
About 70 McDonald’s restaurants across Nebraska will be participating, he said, all the way from Omaha to North Platte helping their respective markets.
“… Hopefully, we’ll help a lot of schools and teachers,” Hall said.
Carolyn Komatsoulis is a reporter for the Columbus Telegram. Reach her via email at carolyn.komatsoulis@lee.net
See the original story in The Columbus Telegram
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