What happens when donating to a cause means supporting your own neighbors down the street? When giving back at work means funding 14,300 meals at 170 schools? When $2.2 million in funding impacts 286,055 students – and those students tell you exactly what kind of a difference you made in their lives?
The answer: a cycle of giving that benefits the whole community.
In-store donations make giving back personal
Panda Cares, the philanthropic arm of Panda Express, has been teaming up with DonorsChoose for five years to directly support nearby classrooms with teacher-requested materials and project support. In that time, our partnership has invested $15 million into over 40,000 teacher requests.
While ordering their meals, Panda Express customers are encouraged to donate at check-out to support the health and education of local youth. The support of Panda’s associates and guests allows Panda Cares to donate to DonorsChoose projects located in Panda Express neighborhoods.
By offering Panda guests and associates an opportunity to give back to the schools in their own communities, Panda Cares has granted $2.2 million to support 4,337 DonorsChoose projects, with teachers who'd never been funded before receiving funding first. In a time when teachers are spending on average $650 out of their own pockets on resources for their students, there's no denying the power of that kind of investment.
Books, paint kits, and puzzles impact the whole neighborhood
Going hyperlocal has had a massive impact on Panda communities across the country, with 16,882 books filling classroom bookshelves. 12,716 art supplies were delivered directly into students' hands – everything from construction paper, to scissors, to paint kits.
Thanks to the in-store donation program, enrichment activities – the kind of item that might be truly cost-prohibitive for self-funded teachers – also made their way to young learners. 12,417 puzzles, board games, flash cards, and workbooks were added to classroom resources in Panda neighborhoods from Hawai'i to New Hampshire.
The result? "Education is a shared priority"
When teachers get their projects fulfilled on DonorsChoose, they're offered an opportunity to write a letter of thanks to donors. Panda Cares funded 4,337 projects this year, and teachers couldn't wait to thank them for the hyperlocal approach to giving back.
"Seeing a company like Panda Express invest in our school community means the world to me," notes Mrs. Helfritz at Lecanto Primary School in Lecanto, Florida. "It reinforces the idea that our students' education is a shared priority and provides them with the high-quality resources they need to build lasting reading stamina."
For a teacher like Ms. Harris at Paradise Canyon Elementary in Saint George, Utah, the Panda Cares in-store donation model means she can help foster her students' academic learning. "With access to engaging and appropriately leveled texts," she says, "students are better able to build fluency, expand vocabulary, and deepen comprehension. Regardless of their reading level, [every student] can access the content and grow."
"Having a company like Panda Cares support my students means so much because it shows that our community believes in the success and future of young learners. Their generosity helps provide opportunities that students may not otherwise have access to and allows me to create a classroom environment where every student has the chance to learn, grow, and succeed," writes Ms. Connelly at John G Riley Elementary School in Tallahassee, Florida.
.jpg)
.jpg)
