Two Years and One Hundred Stories

When children were in need, we responded with food and clothing and a kind word.

And when fundraisers were held to fight cancer, leukemia, multiple sclerosis and cystic fibrosis, we were there with our teams to walk, run or ride bikes to help raise money.

When children were undergoing treatment in local hospitals, we helped in nearby homes where their parents anxiously awaited the results of treatments and surgeries.

And when parks and beaches and bays were neglected, we were there to help pick up trash and restore the natural environment.

We were there to help remember fallen soldiers, police and firefighters by placing flags in national cemeteries and on sandy beaches where their names were read and a bell rung in their honor.
When houses were being built and needed painting we got up early in the morning to help out, and our friends and families joined us. And when playgrounds were burned to the ground, we showed up with our teams to help rebuild them.

When blood mobiles needed a collection venue, we offered our parking lots and our team members were there to help and also make their own donations.

On Thanksgiving Day we helped feed those less fortunate and delivered meals to those who could not travel. Then we collected toys for kids and arranged for special holiday celebrations, and we travelled to houses and shelters to brighten the day for those families in need.

We did all this on our own time, and did so without payment. We did it late at night and early in the morning, and we knew it was the right thing to do.  The simple phrase, doing more good things for more people, guided and encouraged us. And, our Foundation contributed when it could with checks to the organizations we were helping, thus providing a perfect blending of volunteerism and financial support.

It has been my privilege to share these stories in the weekly articles I write for our newsletter, with descriptions and photos provided by our TASC Force teams.  Since the beginning of our TASC Force program in 2008, more than 100 articles have been written about all the good being done by our restaurant teams in their respective communities across the country.

I wanted to take a moment to commemorate this century mark with this brief reflection and thank all our TASC Force teams who have participated these past two years.