Chick Fil A is taking the heat. Their ongoing insistence on supporting anti-gay charitable organizations has caused an uproar. The Chief at the company has come out with pretty blatant statements about his opinions on the subject calling those of us who support gay marriage "prideful". City politicians from all over the US are voicing their opinions that Chick Fil A doesn't belong and wouldn't fit into their communities. If I am prideful for supporting civil rights, so be it. I do take pride in that. I am proud to be an LGBT ally and fully support repealing DOMA and in my own state, the NC constitutional ban on gay marriage.
I have not eaten at Chick Fil A in nearly three years because of their charitable donations to organizations like Focus on the Family, Exodus International (which is now back pedaling hard core on their previous stances), FCA, Family Research Council, etc. There are so many other charities out there Chick Fil A could support to show their love for all of humanity that they claim to have. They say they don't want to be in the "marriage debate" yet they choose to support charities that are very much on the side of anti-marriage-equality. They are a restaurant. Why not support a faith based ministry to feed hungry children or provide job training to low income single parents? They want to be good stewards with their money, why don't they jump in and put their money in some hungry child's mouth! I digress a little.
Not until the most recent statements by the Chief at Chick Fil A did I really begin to examine my other choices in restaurants. I did a quick search this morning and what I found was interesting:
Taco Bell - Has a foundation to help kids graduate high school
Burger King - Has a scholarship foundation that provides tens of thousands of dollars annually
Wendy's - Supports adoption through the Dave Thomas Foundation
McDonald's - supports Ronald McDonald House charities which provides a place for family members to stay close by while they have sick children in the hospital.
Pizza Hut - Has a local "Raising Dough for Kids" campaign in NY state that I could initially find, but nationally they also have the Book It program for reading. They also have this cool program to help nonprofits provide education in the arts to disadvantaged children.
Arby's - has partnered with the No Hungry Kid Campaign and raised lots of money through the Arby's foundation.
All of these companies have something in common besides fast food or quick service dining. All of them are supporting children in their charitable giving. Every single one is helping to educate, feed, or provide comfort to children.
I'd like to thank Chick Fil A for giving me pause, however, I still won't be visiting your restaurant until your giving policies change. While I try to stay away from eating unhealthy fast food, all of these restaurants have some healthier options I can choose from and I will support them all in their endeavors to support future generations.
