Promotion to benefit missions of Boys & Girls Club of America, Baltimore Hunger Project, United Negro College Fund
Papa John’s said sales from its Shaq-a-Roni pizza promotion raised more than $3M for The Papa John’s Foundation for Building Community. The three million pizzas that were sold from August 16 to August 24, 2021 helped raise the funds—donations that will be used to benefit The Foundation’s charitable partners.
The Shaq-a-Roni creation is an extra-large pie made with Papa John’s six-ingredient dough, topped with extra cheese and extra pepperoni, then cut into Papa John’s largest slice.
Through this recently-completed campaign, Papa John’s helped elevate the profile of these partners, including Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Baltimore Hunger Project and UNCF (United Negro College Fund) by integrating them in the campaign distributed nationwide. A social media booster helped consumers raise additional funds for the partners by posting a photo with the hashtag “Shaq-a-Roni.”
On the Papa John’s app, rewards members were also able to contribute by using rewards for donations.
“We are grateful to have a partner like Shaq who shares our company values and believes in giving back to our communities as much as we do,” said Rob Lynch, president and chief executive of Papa John’s. “We’re so proud that for two years in a row we’ve been able to raise, through the generosity of our customers, millions of dollars for causes our team members and franchisees are passionate about. The success of the Shaq-a-Roni program means that the more than 100 nonprofit partners we have across the country, including Boys & Girls Clubs of America, United Negro College Fund and Baltimore Hunger Project, to name a few, will continue the work they do to build a more equitable future for all.”
Here is how Papa John’s described how these Shaq-a-Roni donations will help the important work of these partners:
- Boys & Girls Clubs of America, a partner of The Papa John’s Foundation since 2019, will continue receiving support to provide leadership development programs for youth in local communities, including the National Youth of the Year celebration, which recognizes deserving teens for outstanding leadership, community engagement and academic performance.
- United Negro College Fund to support initiatives designed to move historically Black college and university students to and through college. Specifically, the donation will fund scholarships, as well as provide emergency aid for students who need “just-in-time” assistance and may be at risk of dropping out due to an unexpected financial hardship.
- Baltimore Hunger Project, which is working to eliminate the problem of weekend childhood hunger for Baltimore-area students and families. BHP bridges the hunger gap by consistently providing weekend food packages to students identified as food insecure, in a compassionate and dignified manner, so kids can arrive at school on Monday ready to learn.
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