Dealership launches 500,000 meals challenge
Vehicle dealership Fred Beans Automotive Group launched a 500,000 Meals Challenge to benefit area Salvation Army corps and other nonprofits.
The auto group operates Fred Beans Ford of Boyertown, one of 20 Beans dealerships in southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
The company pledged $25,000 a month through the end of the year, enough for 400,000 meals, and challenged its vendors, customers and employees Tuesday to provide funding for an additional 100,000 meals.
Locally, the effort will benefit the Salvation Army of Boyertown, which has seen a nearly 40% increase in lunches served and a 10% increase in food pantry distributions since the COVID pandemic began taking an economic toll on the area.
“The Salvation Army of Boyertown’s mission is to meet the physical needs of our community through daily meals and a weekly food pantry, and to provide hope in this time of need,” Lt. Joseph S. Smith, corps officer and pastor of the Boyertown corps, said in a news release.
The monthly donations will come from a portion of Beans’ service and CARSTAR collision bills and online sales and, after reopening is permitted, showrooms sales.
Fred Beans, 81, founder of the family of dealerships, said he drew on his Quaker roots to incorporate the concept of “doing well by doing good” into his business philosophy.
“We certainly are navigating our own obstacles, as is just about every business, but we can’t wait to get fully back to normal before getting in this fight against hunger,” Beans said in the news release. “I know from my more than 45 years in business that nothing bad ever comes from doing right. I’m confident our business will be OK; we need to make sure our neighbors are OK first.”
Donors can choose to earmark contributions for one or more of the organizations benefiting from the challenge, including the Salvation Army of Boyertown, the Salvation Army of West Chester, the Bucks County Opportunity Council, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and the Flemington Area Food Pantry.
To join the challenge and donate to help fight hunger, visit the Fred Beans website.