• by Teresa Buyikian , May 2, 2024

Wendy’s is known for its charitable efforts benefiting foster youth. Founder Dave Thomas also started the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, inspired by his own experiences in the foster care system.

Wendy’s has teamed up with The Coca-Cola Company and Keurig Dr Pepper for this year’s fundraising event for National Foster Care Month. Per the announcement, the trio is “committed to ‘Making a Biggie Difference’ [“biggie” is a Wendy’s catchword] for the more than one hundred thousand children in foster care who are waiting for a permanent home and loving family.”

For the month of May, Wendy’s cold beverage cups are imprinted with a special QR code. For each code customers scan with their mobile phone, “$5 will be donated to help the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption further its mission of increasing the number of adoptions of children waiting in North America's foster care systems.” The donations will be capped at $500,000.

On May 7, National Foster Care Day, delivery and service fees will be waived for all in-app orders, “to make it as easy as possible to get cups in hand and scanned,” per the brand.

For the duration of the month, customers who create a new Wendy’s Rewards loyalty account and place an order for in-app delivery, dine-in or carry-out will receive a free any size Coca-Cola or Dr Pepper beverage.

More than 14,000 children across the United States and Canada have found permanent homes since the Dave Thomas Center Foundation for Adoption began more than 30 years ago. Donations to the charity exceed $320 million since its inception.