Doing Good at Goodcents

September 25, 2017

We truly have the greatest group of people in the business.

After the devastating Hurricane Harvey hit Houston in August, a group of Goodcents franchisees in Lincoln, Neb. made it their mission to step in and help. The PILLAR Group coordinated a massive citywide donation drive called ‘Good Life for Houston’ in partnership with Orphan Grain Train and Penske Trucks.

“One of our restaurant group’s core values is Giving Back to the Community that we do through numerous food and certificate donations,” said Kelli Pilkington, Director of Marketing, Brand Strategy and People Relations for PILLAR Restaurant Group. “With the devastation in Texas, our team wanted to continue to embrace that value and do something physical to help out in a different way.”

Their team worked hard to coordinate the logistics and promote the event across social media. They reached nearly 80,000 people and caught the attention of the local television and radio stations who did numerous live broadcasts around the event.

On September 7, the team collected items from 7am – 7pm at multiple restaurant locations across Lincoln. And while their goal was originally to fill two 16 ft. trucks, they ended up with enough donations to fill SIX trucks that ended up filling an entire semi and trailer that the Orphan Grain Train.

The items included more than 60 large bags of dog food, thousands of articles of warm weather clothing, palettes of water, an entire trailer of toys, and tons of non-perishable food. Additionally, essentials like bug spray, first aid items, thousands of brand new toothbrushes, and toiletries, made for the perfect array of donations for those in need.

The Orphan Grain Train successfully delivered the goods to those in need in Houston and in Florida, following the subsequent Hurricane Irma.

We are so proud of our team for not only support their own community, but going above and beyond to make a difference across the country.