In honor of Pay it Forward Day, Dunkin’ is excited to highlight some of the incredible ways the Dunkin’ community has paid it forward over the past year. From community members to franchisees and the entire Dunkin’ family, there have been tremendous acts of kindness in the communities Dunkin’ serves.

Keep reading to learn how the Dunkin’ community is stepping up, paying it forward and helping keep America runnin’!

Dunkin’ Community Members Pay it Forward

For more than 70 years, Dunkin’ has been at the heart of the communities we serve, keeping them running and taking care of its guests. In return, they are taking care of each other.

• In Beavercreek, Ohio, an anonymous donor with a soft spot for coffee, donuts and making people smile brought buzz to the local town after paying it forward with $4,000 in gift cards to be used on other guests. The donation covered orders from Friday afternoon around 4 pm until Saturday morning at 10 am and inspired the Givin’ Back and Payin’ Forward program across the Midwest. Here’s how Dunkin’ is Givin’ Back and Payin’ Forward:  
  • Givin’ Back: Dunkin’ is donating 40,000 gift cards worth $200,000 to various hospitals throughout the Midwest to fuel frontline workers.  
  • Payin’ Forward: At select Dunkin’ restaurants* (nearly 1,000 locations in Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Louisville, Cincinnati, Dayton, St. Louis, Champaign, Peoria, Rockford, Milwaukee, Quad Cities and Des Moines markets), one lucky guest at each location will be chosen at random on Wednesday, April 28, Pay It Forward Day, to win Free Coffee for a Year. 
• Nearby in Cold Spring, Kentucky, Pastor Barry Peters and his 11-year-old son, Davis, decided to pay it forward at their local Dunkin’ after suddenly losing their wife and mother. To commemorate the six months since her passing, Barry and Davis purchased a $208 gift card, the amount she would have spent at Dunkin’. They asked that it be used to pay for everyone behind them in line until it ran out.

Dunkin’ Franchisees’ Acts of Kindness

From DIY Dunkin’ Donut Decorating Kit donations to local hospitals, to supporting healthcare heroes administering vaccines, our franchisees continue to keep their communities runnin’.

• Franchisee Blake Robinson of the Southern Foods Network made Valentine’s Day 2021 full of love for patients and nurses at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children in Huntsville, Alabama when he donated DIY Dunkin’ Donut Decorating Kits for patients and donuts for nurses.
• Franchisee Steve Catalano of Route 65 paid it forward on Random Acts of Kindness Day by donating nearly 80 dozen donuts, about 40 Box O’ Joe® and $2,000 gift cards to 39 fire stations in Nashville, Tennessee.
• Franchisee Aharon Aminpour of Madison Food from Los Angeles, California, and Tali Burton, of Burton Group from San Diego, California raised a cup to healthcare heroes administering vaccines at Petco Park and Dodger Stadium by donating hot coffee and donuts throughout the month of March.

Dunkin’ Family Comes Together to Help the Community

In addition to our franchisees and beloved Dunkin’ community members, the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation has continued to keep America running through donations and grants.

• The Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation activated another $1 million in emergency hunger relief grants, bringing the total amount of three large-scale Foundation grants to battle hunger during the pandemic to $3.25 million.
• The Foundation will award $500,000 in grants to summer camps to help children battling cancer and other serious illnesses to experience the joy of the season at one of the many camps around the country designed just for them.

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