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| A Colonel Sanders lookalike gives away chicken. Photo: KFC. |
The restaurant, located in the brand's hometown, was converted into a "World Hunger Relief Kitchen" for two hours, during which employees served Kentucky Grilled Chicken meals to about 110 residents from local shelters, KFC spokesman Rick Maynard told Slashfood. It was the first of several closings planned around the country for the 15,000-restaurant chain.
The event kicked off the company's fund- and awareness-raising activities with World Hunger Relief, including fundraisers, food drives and car washes at KFC locations around the country.
"We would like this to be as widespread geographically as possible and to generate as much interest as possible," Maynard said. "What we do is feed people. That's how we all make our living, and we want to do more to try and alleviate the problem of hunger."
Maynard declined to say where or how many restaurants would participate nationwide. While the relief kitchen events are closed to the public, the other events are open and donations can be made to World Hunger Relief online at fromhungertohope.com.
"While KFC feeds the hungry every day, closing restaurants is a bold step in helping to raise money and awareness of world hunger," KFC President Roger Eaton said.
KFC and Yum! Brands, KFC's parent company, have worked with World Hunger Relief since 2007 and have raised about $36 million for the United Nations World Food Programme and other hunger relief organizations, the company said.
9-30-2009 @9:16PM smithmom said... Way to go KFC!!
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9-30-2009 @9:20PM christuthill said... KFC should lower prices so all can benefit not just a selected few. Except for very wealthy and our spendaholic government we are all having a hard time and could use a deal.
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9-30-2009 @9:20PM richard cruz said... wow thats a great thing they did..i wish fresno calif could do something like that... god bless kfc
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9-30-2009 @9:51PM Mary said... christuthill said...
KFC should lower prices so all can benefit not just a selected few. Except for very wealthy and our spendaholic government we are all having a hard time and could use a deal.
===========KFC'S prices aren't that bad at all compared to most places that serve good food. I eat at KFC pretty often and if their food was too expensive I couldn't do that.
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9-30-2009 @9:59PM Jax said... Yeah, fried chicken is SUCH a need and is so very pricy. I mean, most average Americans can afford to buy KFC every so often. You don't need fried chicken to live. If you're that poor, there are food stamps. It's selfish to want a discount similar to what the lowest class gets. These people are often STARVING. Odds are, if you are on the computer at a time when many people are working, you don't need the free chicken.
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9-30-2009 @10:30PM JoGalloway said... Kentucky Fried Cruelty!!!
http://www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com
They need to shut down for good or stop brutalizing animals!
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9-30-2009 @10:53PM Laura said... Awesome idea! Hopefully other food chains would follow!
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9-30-2009 @11:03PM olah said... I am pretty sure (actually I am 100% sure) that God put chickens on this earth to to be consumed by humans for nourishment, whether it is fried, baked or BBQ'D. I, personally, do not know of a "humanely" way to kill an animal. So are we to starve because it is inhumane to kill an animal? I don't think so. PETA People eating tasty animals!!! WTG KFC
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10-02-2009 @5:19PM finny said... KFC is the only place I'll boycott. I do think that this is a good move, but I still believe that they don't deserve my business.
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10-01-2009 @12:38AM Just Me said... OH PLEEEEASE>>>>They put out another "FREE MEAL" deal and are closing their doors to get out of having to honor it. This is a stunt to make up for the business they lost when they pulled that prank. I haven't eaten there since and will never again. Where were they when I was hungry and only had the coupon for a meal????? LIARS
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10-01-2009 @1:43AM Karma said... This is wonderful, all resturants big & small should follow suit in some form or fashion. It's all about helping our fellow person. This is a good example of being your brother's keeper in times of need such as this..Yaaay for KFC!!!! Oh, they have the best biscuits...think I'm going to KFC tomorrow, gotta' have one of those biscuits!! :-)
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10-01-2009 @2:02AM jude said... no not really true JAX, most people who need food stamps maybe have been without a job, a few months thinking they will land one any day and there wife or husband gets layed off and the savings is all gone and before you know it your out of groceries, or a home and it takes 2 or 3 weeks to get approved for food stamps and the avarage person does not no where to go or anything,, your lucky you have not been in that position, if you were single and had a very bad heart attack and stroke could you live and few years with no help, if you had no long term ins.
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10-01-2009 @8:08AM Randy said... KFC's hometown is Corbin KY, not Louisville. The original store is still there and has a small museum.
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10-01-2009 @2:24AM JLCroadie said... Wish KFC would close our local store permanently! Have ate there twice in past year; got food poisoning both times! Health Dept. investigates and says 'everything's OK as far as we can tell'! (After a week, I'd expect nothing to be found!) People at our local store work there because McDonald's wouldn't hire them!
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10-01-2009 @5:41AM L. B. Windley said... I applaud this generous donation to the hungry. However, it has been KFC’s corporate policy to require stores to “Clorox” all tossed out (left over) food so that it cannot be used. Their corporate concept has been that food taken from the dumpster or given away is a loss of a customer and a sale. Maybe they need to reconsider donations of left-overs to Second Harvest and local shelter programs on a regular basis.
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10-01-2009 @4:47AM wes said... There is no such thing as a free lunch. This event got the abusive KFC good PR, abd it got rid of all that chicken about to go bad.
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10-01-2009 @4:47AM wes said... Take that PETA~!
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10-01-2009 @5:34AM MELLY said... HELP FEED THE HUNRGY AND HAVE FUN AT THE SAME TIME WWW.FREERICE.COM
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10-01-2009 @10:46AM sneck said... It is so nice someone is FINALLY feeding the children of AMERICA and not AFRICA. Thank you KFC!
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10-01-2009 @8:29AM Queen said... After eating the food they probably got hypertension now after all the sodium in the food. Is the food that bad that KFC has to put so much sodium in it to make it taste so good? Salt and sugar is what is making our children sick as they reach adulthood.
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