DUBLIN, Ohio — Wendy’s, continuing its over 30-year tradition of supporting foster care adoption, has raised a record-breaking $22.6 million over the past year for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. The funds were raised through various fundraising programs, including “Make A Biggie Difference,” sponsored by Coca-Cola and Keurig Dr Pepper, coin canister collections, Boo! Books, and Frosty Key Tags.
Over the past three decades, Wendy’s has inspired its fans and restaurant teams to raise more than $310 million for the Foundation. The funds directly support the Foundation’s mission to dramatically increase the number of adoptions for the over 113,000 children in the U.S. currently waiting to be adopted from foster care.
“We are so grateful to every single Wendy’s customer who purchased a Boo! Books coupon book, a Frosty Key Tag, scanned our carryout bags during Make a Biggie Difference, or dropped spare change in our coin collection canisters,” said Lindsay Radkoski, Wendy’s U.S. Chief Marketing Officer. “Every year, nearly 20,000 youth in the U.S. age out of foster care without a forever family, but our partnership with the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is making a life-changing difference.”
The Wendy’s System of franchisees, operators, and crew members raised a record-breaking $9.2 million through Boo! Books during its 20th campaign. For the first time, Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products and DC joined forces with Wendy’s. The DC-inspired coupon book had five coupons for free Jr. Frosty treats featuring iconic Frosty characters dressed up as DC Super Heroes, plus a sixth coupon for a $1.99 Wendy’s Kids’ Meal with any purchase. Wendy’s $1 Boo! Books were available from September 4, 2023, through November 5, 2023.
In honor of National Adoption Month in November, Wendy’s brought back the fan-favorite Frosty Key Tags. Available from November 20, 2023, through February 18, 2024, Wendy’s fans could buy a $3 Frosty Key Tag to score a free Jr. Frosty with purchase all year long. Through Frosty Key Tags, Wendy’s reached $12.5 million raised to advance the Foundation’s critical work.
“The Wendy’s family has been an incredible supporter and champion of the Foundation’s mission,” said Rita Soronen, President & CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. “Together, we have helped find permanent, loving families for more than 14,000 children in foster care across the U.S. and Canada. Funds raised through Wendy’s mean we can continue expanding our national awareness campaigns and innovative programs to serve more children still waiting for the stability and security of a forever home.”
Wendy’s founder, Dave Thomas, who was adopted when he was six weeks old, established the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption in 1992. The Foundation and Wendy’s share a commitment to achieving Thomas’s vision that every child has a permanent home and a loving family. Through its signature program, Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, the Foundation supports the hiring of adoption professionals, known as recruiters, who are dedicated to finding permanent families for children in foster care who are too often overlooked. A rigorous, five-year national evaluation revealed that children referred to the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program are up to three times more likely to be adopted from foster care.