Customers help spread the 'Luv' with donations to local food banks
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 13 years, 7 months AGO
Dutch Bros. Coffee locations collected 131,660 pounds of food for local food banks during the company's annual Valentine's Dutch "Luv" Day food drive held on Feb. 14, during which customers exchanged nonperishable food items for coffee.
The Coeur d'Alene stores managed by Brandi Berline and Jeff Buller brought in around 3,000 pounds.
"The community really came out that day," Buller said.
"It's overwhelming to see our communities pull together in support of our local food banks," said Dutch Bros. co-founder Travis Boersma. "We're constantly impressed by the willingness and enthusiasm of our neighbors to lend a hand for people in need, and are so pleased to be able to provide such a significant donation this year."
Dutch "Luv" Day is part of Dutch Bros.' company-wide annual giveback program, in which the company reinvests 1 percent of its annual gross sales back into the community.
The company operates two sites in Coeur d'Alene.
Last year, franchisees contributed more than 80,000 pounds of food and more than $1 million to organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club of America, Toys for Tots and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Dutch Bros. Coffee kicked off 2012 on a high note by celebrating the successes of 2011.
Last year's successes included adding 16 new locations, serving more than 28 million cups of coffee, and donating more than $1 million to nonprofit organizations, in addition to the contributions from the Dutch Bros. quarterly fundraisers, including:
• Buck for Kids Day: On Dec. 9, Dutch Bros. franchisees donated proceeds from every beverage purchased to a local children's charity of their choice, with donations totaling $93,000. Recipients included local Boys and Girls Clubs and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
The Coeur d'Alene stores raised nearly $2,000.
• MDA Day: Dutch Bros. donated more than $137,000 to the Muscular Dystrophy Association following its annual companywide fundraiser, MDA Day. Held on April 29 in 2011, Dutch Bros. hosts MDA Day annually in honor of company co-founder Dane Boersma, who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2005 and passed away in late 2009.
This time, the Coeur d'Alene stores raised nearly $3,000.
"It was a big day," Berline said.