NEWS - Retail & Shopping Centers

SBJ Staff Report

Nov 28, 2011 - Local KFCs, KFC/Taco Bells and DQ Grill & Chills owned by the Hodges Management Company have launched a “Dishing Out Meals: Fighting Homelessness and Hunger in Our Community” campaign this holiday season. 

Twenty-one KFCs and KFC/TacoBells, and three DQ Grill & Chills owned by Hodges Management Company have partnered with the Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless, Inc. to raise funds and awareness to help end homelessness and hunger in Savannah and surrounding communities. The campaign launched today and runs through December 31, 2011.

To help generate awareness about homelessness and hunger, Savannah’s KFCs, KFC/Taco Bells and DQ Grill & Chills have taken an unprecedented step in changing the way ‘cause marketing’ campaigns are done, according to the company.

They will not only promote the campaign with its in-store pin-ups which customers can donate $1 to the cause at check out, but the campaign will also incorporate a QR Code on value sheets that get tucked in all drive-thru bags and in-store store customer trays.  The QR Code, when scanned with customer smart phones, takes them directly to the Homeless Authority website for more information or to make a donation.

QR Codes are new to how fundraising is done.

The Homeless Authority is a nonprofit organization that coordinates Savannah’s response to homelessness. According to the group, homelessness does not discriminate. Families with children, teenagers, single adults, victims of domestic violence, veterans and elderly individuals of all races and walks of life can be found struggling with the devastating effects of homeless.

All General Managers of Hodges Management spent a Saturday learning and volunteering for the cause, encouraging managers to ensure their staff are motivated and dedicated to making a difference in the community and to give hope to individuals and families in need.

Hodges Management Company began in 1965 when Inman and Mary Sue Hodges opened their first KFC restaurant in Statesboro, GA. Over the years, other restaurants have been added to the company in Southeast GA and South Carolina to include 21 KFCs and KFC/Taco Bells, as well as 3 Dairy Queen Grill & Chills. Today, the company is still owned and operated by the Hodges along with their son, Inman Hodges, Jr.