Local Dunkin' Donuts Franchise Brings Fresh-Baked Philanthropy to the Community
PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. - March 26, 2007 - Calvert County's first and only Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin Robbins franchise was opened in Lusby in July 2006 by first-time husband-and-wife entrepreneurs, Nance Pretto Simmons and Kelvin Simmons. Since the beginning, the pair has made social responsibility a priority in their business enterprise. This commitment is reflected in the way they operate their business, treat their employees and give back to the community - not just occasionally, but every single day.
"We were getting lots of requests to make contributions and donate baked goods to community events and activities," said Nance. "So we thought, 'Let's design a system to make this work, including a set of criteria and an organized way to make community donations on a regular basis.'"
The Simmonses formalized their giving routine into a daily process of donating unused products to a host of community organizations. After less than a year of operations, the company has generously donated to a wide range of local charitable organizations and causes including the Boys & Girls Club of Southern Maryland, Southern Pines Senior Center, Optimist Club of Calvert, Calvert County Public Schools, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maryland, Girl Scouts of the USA, Calvert County Sheriff's Department, Solomons Volunteer Fire Department, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, National Night Out, Calvert County Parks and Recreation, Calvert Hospice, SMILE and many others.
"It's just a way for us to give back and support the community since the community also supports us," said Nance. "It helps to make us a part of the neighborhoods that we have chosen to do business with and creates a nice relationship with our customers."
Dunkin' Donuts is the largest coffee and baked goods chain in the world and the company has become famous for their many varieties of donuts, baked products, muffins, bagels and donut hole treats. Dunkin' Donuts is also the largest bagel retailer in the world, selling more than 285 million bagels per year, and America's largest retailer of coffee-by-the-cup, selling nearly one billion cups of coffee each year.