USConnect Reports 2015 Charitable Donations Totaling Nearly 50K

GREENSBORO, NC -- USConnect has released a report detailing its $49,564 in charitable donations made in 2015. The company explained that these donations represent an industry-leading commitment to giving back; 1.5% of every dollar its customers spend with their USConnectMe accounts is contributed to the charity of the customer's choice.

USConnect is a national consortium of independent foodservice companies. USConnectMe is a loyalty program offered in conjunction with its cashless payment system. USConnectMe accounts can be used at all locations served by the consortium's operators and at their 25,000 machines nationwide.

Those individual contributions add up for the nonprofit organizations that benefit from them. Last year, for example, USConnect customers and affiliates gave $3,868 to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and to nearly 100 other nonprofits and charities, local and national. Soup kitchens, animal shelters, hospitals -- USConnect's donations fund them all, the company noted. Its largest contribution to a single nonprofit last year was to Southwire CARES (Carrollton, GA), which received $18,582.

"We believe in helping our communities, and have designed our program so that our customers can take part as well," said USConnect president Jeff Whitacre. "Giving back is personal. We all have causes we care about, and our system allows customers to support the causes that are most important to them. USConnect is taking charitable donations to the next level; our goal is to hit $1 million in donations."

Whitacre reports that this goal is on track to becoming reality. Still in its infancy -- USConnect launched in late 2013 -- the organization's growth rate continues to exceed 100% per year. Whitacre noted that its nationwide loyalty, promotions, and charitable giving program is just getting off the ground.

He added that the just-launched USConnectMe app will accelerate the success of the program by raising awareness and encouraging adoption of the charitable giving opportunity.