CHICAGO -- Belly and 7-Eleven Inc. have launched "Give a Little & Do Great," a joint program running until Dec. 2 at all participating Chicago 7-Eleven convenience store locations. The two companies will donate a meal to the Greater Chicago Food Depository each time a Belly member redeems the 10-Point Reward for this cause.
Founded in 1979, the Food Depository works with 650 pantries, food kitchens, shelters, children and adult programs across the greater Chicago-area's Cook County to address the root causes of hunger. Each year, it provides multiple millions of pounds of shelf-stable food, fresh produce, dairy products and meat equating to 150,000 meals each day.
The Give a Little & Do Great program marks the largest philanthropic partnership Belly has launched to date. By collaborating with the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Belly offers its members an easy way to do good by donating their reward points to a charitable organization rather than redeeming them for food items and other in-store goods, services and experiential rewards.
The program makes it easy for anyone to participate. Every time a member accumulates 10 points (two visits) and redeems the "Give a Little" reward on the in-store Belly tablet, Belly and 7-Eleven will donate a meal to the Greater Chicago Food Depository on that member's behalf.
"Belly tablets at Chicago 7-Eleven stores are the vehicle making it easy for our members to make a difference in their neighborhood," said Ryan Jeffery, Belly vice president of business development. "The Greater Chicago Food Depository's programs address the causes of hunger while working to feed as many area needy families as possible.
"We are excited to partner with 7-Eleven in this effort and to give our Belly members an easy way to minimize hunger among their neighbors," Jeffery said.
In support of the joint launch with 7-Eleven, Belly is encouraging its 7-Eleven members to head to participating locations and select the 10-Point Give a Little Reward to donate a meal to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Belly and 7-Eleven plan to announce the total number of meals donated on "Giving Tuesday," which falls on Dec. 3 this year.
"This initiative is an extension of the continued hunger relief efforts at 7-Eleven," said Laura Gordon, vice president of marketing and brand innovation for Dallas-based 7-Eleven Inc. "The Belly program offers a new way for our guests to give back just by shopping at our stores."
Said Kate Maehr, executive director and CEO of the Food Depository, "The Give a Little & Do Great initiative comes at a time when one in six people in our community are unsure when they will receive their next meal. We are thankful for the support of Belly and 7-Eleven and look forward to the additional awareness of hunger in our community and impact for struggling families throughout Cook County."
In addition to its pilot program with 7-Eleven, Belly is currently installed in more than 1,700 Chicago businesses. It has more than 400,000 active members in Chicago, and nationally is installed in more than 8,000 businesses.
7-Eleven Inc. is the premier name and largest chain in the convenience retailing industry. Based in Dallas, 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses more than 10,200 7-Eleven stores in North America.
Belly, Chicago, is the leading loyalty platform in the country. With thousands of merchants and millions of members, Belly revolutionizes traditional loyalty concepts and works with each business to design a customized, unique rewards suite their customers actually want. Using a tablet and single card or iPhone or Android app, Belly unlocks new opportunities for customer engagement and digital advocacy.
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