McDonald’s recognised for its outstanding contribution to local communities during pandemic at the 2021 Excellence in Business Awards
- McDonald’s has won the 2021 Public Sector Excellence in Business Awards for its outstanding contribution to local communities during the pandemic.
- McDonald’s works with a wide variety of charities and local community groups in Ireland including Ronald McDonald House Charities Ireland (RMHC Ireland), FoodCloud, and the Society of St Vincent De Paul.
- The world’s largest quick service restaurant has 95 restaurants in Ireland. The vast majority are owned and operated by local franchisees.
McDonald’s has been awarded the first highly coveted‘Special Impact Award for Continued Service to Local Communities’ during the pandemic at the 2021 Public Sector Excellence in Business Awards.
The Irish Public Sector Excellence in Business Awards are awarded each year to companies, bodies and campaigns that demonstrate outstanding service, continuity, track record and general excellence in the Irish Public Sector, Irish Businesses and Communities of Ireland. The 2021 awards were very much about resilience, strength and durability, given the 12 months businesses endured due to the pandemic.
The panel of judges commended McDonald’s, stating that through its longstanding partnerships and new initiatives, McDonald’s is making a real difference to thousands of people in every town in Ireland where each restaurant is firmly rooted in the community in which it operates.
Accepting the award, McDonald’s Vice President of Operations for the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, Sarah Carter said: “Here at McDonald’s, our purpose is to feed and foster communities. We’ve been proudly serving communities across Ireland since 1977. 2021 was a year of continued uncertainty, with Covid-19 remaining a huge factor in our day-to-day lives. We knew our communities needed us more than ever, and so we continued to focus our efforts to support community groups and play our part in bringing a more sustainable, fairer future within closer reach for everyone.”
Ronald McDonald House Charities Ireland
McDonald’s are the largest corporate supporter of Ronald McDonald House Charities Ireland (RMHC Ireland), providing €1.2 million through fundraising over the last 10 years. The charity enables families to stay together near specialist children’s hospitals when a child is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.
McDonald’s franchisees across Ireland support the charity with a number of fundraising initiatives throughout the year, including the annual RMHC Ireland Santa Hats Appeal. McDonald’s promotes and sells the RMHC Ireland Santa Hats in restaurants, with all the proceeds going to RMHC Ireland.
In December 2021, McDonald’s launched a new ‘donate at kiosk’ option across its restaurants, making it easier for customers to donate to RMHC Ireland with the “Round Up for RMHC”. As society becomes increasingly ‘cashless’, this new option allows customers to ‘round up’ their purchase to the nearest whole euro or give a set donation.
Minimising Food Waste
McDonald’s continues to support those in greatest need, funding the redistribution of food through its new partnership with the social enterprise group FoodCloud. FoodCloud’s mission is to create a world where no good food goes to waste.
McDonald’s partnership with FoodCloud began in 2020 at the start of the pandemic with McDonald’s providing surplus food donations.
In 2021, McDonald’s donated €50,000 to FoodCloud, which will go towards providing 150,000 meals for people who need them most. FoodCloud provide surplus food donations to more than 700 charities and community groups across Ireland. Since its first donation in March 2020, McDonald’s has donated 31 tonnes of food which FoodCloud has redistributed to charities nationwide.
Improving Child Literacy
McDonald’s is firmly committed to encouraging and inspiring young children to read and are proud to have distributed thousands of books to children across Ireland, through its work with the St. Vincent de Paul (SVP) WordPower programme.
McDonald’s also promotes children’s literacy and reading through its annual Happy Meal book promotions, for World Book Day. Last year, as part of its sustainability strategy, McDonald’s made Happy Meal books a permanent option for children to enjoy.
