Delaware North teams and locations around the world have been spreading joy this season through charitable efforts, including gift drives, donations and volunteerism.
Delaware North CEO Lou Jacobs joined corporate headquarters team members last week to celebrate a successful second year of participating in FeedMore Western New York’s Adopt-a-Route program, through which team members volunteer weekly to deliver meals to homes in Buffalo. Jacobs, who serves on FeedMore WNY’s board of directors and is the co-chair of its capital campaign, thanked team members for taking time out of their workdays to ensure neighbors receive nutritious meals delivered with friendly smiles from volunteers.
Corporate headquarters team members also participated in the Adopt-a-Family program by Child & Family Services and the NativityMiguel Middle School of East Buffalo by donating gifts and gift cards. Click here to see news coverage of Delaware North’s donation of approximately $6,000 in gifts to Child & Family Services and hear from Katie Gorman, director of corporate social responsibility and strategic initiatives, on the importance of giving back during the holidays.
Delaware North Australia team members at the corporate office in Melbourne and Melbourne Airport once again participated in Uniting’s Gifts for Families, an annual campaign that supports thousands of families facing poverty and homelessness.
Team members from the Boston Bruins, owned by Delaware North Chairman Jeremy Jacobs, and company-owned-and-operated TD Garden collected toys for the Boston Gives Back initiative, helping spread holiday cheer to families in Boston.
Delaware North Gaming locations give back
The Catawba Nation’s Catawba Two Kings Casino in Kings Mountain, N.C., has once again donated hundreds of toys – valued at about $20,000 – to two regional Toys for Tots organizations to provide holiday toys to deserving children in York County in South Carolina and Cleveland County in North Carolina.
Delaware North, which is a key consultant to the Catawba Nation on both the temporary casino and the $700 million permanent casino under construction at an adjacent site, contributed $5,000 toward the effort to buy toys to supplement those donated by the casino, its patrons, employees and gaming machine supplier. This is the fourth consecutive year that Delaware North has contributed to, and helped organize, the Toys for Tots drive at the casino.
Team members at Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack in Farmington, N.Y., recently filled over 15 shopping carts with holiday toys and other gifts and delivered them to the Ontario County Department of Social Services to benefit about 60 children in foster care.
This year’s Points for Kids campaign raised more than $4,000, thanks to the generosity of Lucky North Club members who donated their points to the cause. It was the 21st consecutive year Finger Lakes has conducted the program.
At Hamburg Gaming, located in Hamburg, N.Y., team members supported the SPCA serving Erie County by donating essential items from the organization’s wish list. The items collected included a bird cage, towels, collars, treats and toys, allowing the team to spread some holiday cheer and support the SPCA’s essential work in the community.
Sportservice teams show up for others
Delaware North Sportservice at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., organized a toy and coat collection drive to benefit several local nonprofit organizations. Throughout the month of December, the team will donate hundreds of toys and more
than 100 coats.
Delaware North Sportservice at Great American Ball Park once again held a toy drive and collected more than 150 items from team members that were donated to Cincinnati Toys for Tots.
Delaware North Sportservice at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., last week donated homemade cookies to Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo to demonstrate their gratitude for first responders and medical personnel.
Delaware North Sportservice leaders from Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisc., earlier this month volunteered at Paul’s Pantry, a weekly food source for local families. Team members repackaged bulk eggs for distribution and put their foodservice skills to work by setting a record of repacking the most eggs – 20,000 – in about an hour.
Airport team members make a difference
The Travel team at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) provided nearly 300 items to Toys for Tots, thanks to donation boxes at nearly 10 retail outlets operated by Delaware North. Since 2023, Delaware North at MSP also has managed a “Treats for Troops” program, which allows guests to purchase snacks and beverages to donate to the MSP Armed Forces Service Center, which serves travelers who are active members of the U.S. military and veterans. Delaware North features Treats for Troops baskets at its company-operated news and convenience stores, and this month reported more than $7,000 worth of donated snacks and beverages for 2024.
The Travel team at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Dec. 12 prepared and delivered 500 meals to the Keep Austin Fed organization. Foodservice and retail team members worked together to help the organization, which supports the aging population and people with disabilities.
As the season of giving continues, come back for more stories on team members serving their communities in the special places where Delaware North operates around the globe.