P. Terry’s burger chain raises $17,161 for charity drive

Owner Patrick Terry donates profits from six stores on Saturday to help needy families.

P. Terry’s Burger Stand had its busiest day of the year on Saturday. That was the day when people lined up at its six Central Texas locations to make a donation to the Austin American-Statesman’s Season for Caring program.

By eating lunch, breakfast or dinner or sometimes multiple meals on Saturday, customers helped P. Terry’s raise $17,160.99, that day’s profits for all six locations. About 15 percent of its employees donated their wages for the day, and Farm to Table provided locally grown tomatoes, which helped reduce P. Terry’s costs.

The donation will go to help hundreds of families throughout Central Texas to have basic needs met through Season for Caring. The program, which began in 1999, highlights the needs of 12 featured families, who are nominated by local nonprofit agencies. Those agencies distribute the funds throughout the year by helping their clients pay rent and utilities, buy groceries and medications, and pay other living expenses not covered by other programs.

This is the fourth year that P. Terry’s has donated a day’s profits to Season for Caring and the third year it has been the busiest day for the burger joint. Since 2009, P. Terry’s has given Season for Caring $56,944.

“It’s a wonderful time of the year,” P. Terry’s owner, Patrick Terry, said. “Not only do we feel it, we can tell our customers feel it.”

His wife, Kathy Terry, says they know that there are people who have never gone to P. Terry’s who come out