ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In the charitable program’s second year, Papa John’s announced the company sold more than 3 million Shaq-a-Roni pizzas in 2021, raising more than $3 million for The Papa John’s Foundation for Building Community.
“There is nothing more important than providing a helping hand to communities in need,” said Shaquille O’Neal, Papa John’s Board Member and franchise owner. “Our nonprofit partner organizations are addressing important causes near and dear to my heart, and I am proud of the impact we can have through the funds raised from this year’s Shaq-a-Roni sales.”
From August 16 to October 24, one dollar from every Shaq-a-Roni pizza sold was donated to The Papa John’s Foundation for Building Community. This year, Papa John’s raised broader awareness of its charitable partners, including Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Baltimore Hunger Project and UNCF (United Negro College Fund), by integrating them into the national ad campaign. The company also gave consumers ways to get involved further through social media, by triggering an additional donation for every photo of the pizza posted with the hashtag “Shaq-a-Roni.” Additionally, consumers were also able to give back through the company’s loyalty program, Papa Rewards®, by turning their rewards into a donation.
“We are grateful to have a partner like Shaq who shares our company values and believes in giving back to our communities as much as we do,” said Rob Lynch, president and CEO of Papa John’s. “We’re so proud that for two years in a row we’ve been able to raise, through the generosity of our customers, millions of dollars for causes our team members and franchisees are passionate about. The success of the Shaq-a-Roni program means that the more than 100 nonprofit partners we have across the country, including Boys & Girls Clubs of America, United Negro College Fund and Baltimore Hunger Project, to name a few, will continue the work they do to build a more equitable future for all.”
Developed by Shaquille himself, the Shaq-a-Roni has proved to be a fan favorite – an extra-large pie made with Papa John’s fresh, never frozen, six-ingredient dough, topped with extra cheese and extra pepperoni and then cut into Papa John’s largest slice to date.
A portion of the funds raised from Shaq-a-Roni sales will support The Papa John’s Foundation Building Community Fund, a grant program for franchisees to award funds to local community organizations. Examples of the Foundation’s national and grassroots partners are:
- Boys & Girls Clubs of America, a partner of The Papa John’s Foundation since 2019, will continue receiving support to provide leadership development programs for youth in local communities, including the National Youth of the Year celebration, which recognizes deserving teens for outstanding leadership, community engagement and academic performance.
- United Negro College Fund to support initiatives designed to move historically Black college and university students to and through college. Specifically, the donation will fund scholarships, as well as provide emergency aid for students who need “just-in-time” assistance and may be at risk of dropping out due to an unexpected financial hardship.
- Baltimore Hunger Project, which is working to eliminate the problem of weekend childhood hunger for Baltimore-area students and families. BHP bridges the hunger gap by consistently providing weekend food packages to students identified as food insecure, in a compassionate and dignified manner, so kids can arrive at school on Monday ready to learn.
More information about the Shaq-a-Roni pizza, including The Papa John’s Foundation and its grantees, can be found at www.papajohns.com/foundation.
About Papa John’s
Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) opened its doors in 1984 with one goal in mind: BETTER INGREDIENTS. BETTER PIZZA.® Papa John’s believes that using high quality ingredients leads to superior quality pizzas. Its original dough is made of only six ingredients and is fresh, never frozen. Papa John’s tops its pizzas with real cheese made from mozzarella, pizza sauce made with vine-ripened tomatoes that go from vine to can in the same day and meat free of fillers. It was the first national pizza delivery chain to announce the removal of artificial flavors and synthetic colors from its entire food menu. Papa John’s is headquartered in Louisville, Ky. and is the world’s third-largest pizza delivery company with more than 5,500 restaurants in 49 countries and territories as of June 28, 2021. For more information about the Company or to order pizza online, visit www.PapaJohns.com or download the Papa John’s mobile app for iOS or Android.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For 160 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA.org) has provided a safe place for kids and teens to learn and grow. Clubs offer caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Boys & Girls Clubs programming promotes academic success, good character and leadership, and healthy lifestyles. More than 4,700 Clubs serve over 4.3 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of America on Facebook and Twitter.
About UNCF
UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through scholarships and other programs, supports and strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding nearly 20% of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized trademark, ‟A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”® Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on Twitter at @UNCF.
About Baltimore Hunger Project
Baltimore Hunger Project (BHP), a grass-root, volunteer-based organization was founded in November 2014 with a mission to eliminate the growing problem of weekend childhood hunger. Through no fault of their own many children do not have enough food to eat on the weekends when school is out. BHP is bridging the hunger gap between Friday and Monday by consistently providing weekend food packages to children identified as food insecure by school guidance counselors and social workers, in a compassionate and dignified manner. BHP volunteers deliver non-perishable food packages to partner schools on Friday mornings. The school counselor discreetly slips the food package into the students backpack thereby preserving their privacy and dignity. The weekend food package provides the student with several meals for the weekend, allowing them to come to school ready to learn on Monday morning. To date, BHP has distributed over 128,000 food packages with over 500,000 meals. Learn more about BHP at Baltimorehungerproject.org and follow our progress on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
