BATON ROUGE – After Hurricane Dorian took a catastrophic toll on the Bahamas, Raising Cane’sChicken Fingers said it was eager to support storm survivors. To help with the recovery effort, Cane’s pledged to match up to $100,000 for every “text-to-give” donation or online donation made to Abaco Outreach powered by SBPduring October.
Recently, Raising Cane’s Founder and CEO Todd Graves presented a check to the SBP Abaco Outreach for the full $100,000 match. Overall, the text-to-give campaign, with promotional support from Nola.com, raised more than $156,400. Plus, Cane’s efforts encouraged another donor to step up and provide SBP with an additional $100,000 match grant.
“The generosity of Louisianans does not surprise me because we personally understand the devastation a hurricane can bring,” Graves said. “We are humbled to be able to support SBP’s ongoing efforts in the Bahamas as residents continue to recover.”
Estimates indicate that more than 50,000 homes were damaged across several of the islands. Likewise, other buildings, such as schools and hospitals, were destroyed.
Together, Abaco Outreach and SBP form a strong partnership that blends knowledge of the islands with 14 years of experience in post-disaster recovery.
“We are so grateful for the investment that Raising Cane’s made to support SBP Abaco Outreach’s Hurricane Dorian long-term recovery,” said SBP Chief Development Officer Elizabeth Egle. “We are thrilled to have more than met the $100,000 match so generously provided by Cane’s. In total, we have raised nearly $1.5 million to support long-term recovery in the Bahamas.”
Because of the funding from Raising Cane’s, work has begun on the first two home rebuilds in the Bahamas. Moving beyond the demo phase, the SBP and Abaco crews began “putting up walls,” providing a wave of hope to impacted families across the island. Additionally, work to restore the Grand Bahamas Children’s Home for abandoned and abused children is underway.
