Officials with the McDonald’s Corporation report franchise owner-operators from across Nebraska and western Iowa are coming together to rally behind #NebraskaStrong and #IowaStrong flood relief efforts in honor of #NebraskaStrongDay on Friday, March 22nd.  McDonald’s restaurants in Nebraska and western Iowa participating in this fundraiser on Friday will be donating 10 percent of the day’s sales to local American Red Cross chapters and other organizations in need – including schools and local charities – to further support communities devastated by the flood.

Nate Leonard, who, along with his father Steve and brother-in-law Blake Zogleman, owns McDonald’s restaurants in Omaha, Fremont, Norfolk, Missouri Valley, Shelby and Atlantic, says “Everyone is doing their part to lift our communities because it’s the right thing to do. Volunteers are working around the clock, schools are short on water and sanitizer, some of our employees are without homes. We want to do all we can do to support those in need.”

Nearly two dozen McDonald’s owner-operators of the Great Plains Co-op live and work within the regions affected by the flood. They’ve seen the heartbreak and are working alongside their neighbors to rebuild their communities, choosing to give back in a big way. Sales collected from open to close at participating restaurants in Nebraska and western Iowa will go back to the community through donations to local disaster relief organizations. Anticipated proceeds from the fundraiser are expected to exceed $100,000.

The Great Plains Co-op is made up of 238 restaurants and 55 owner-operators spanning the state of Nebraska, western Iowa, St. Joseph, Missouri, and the greater Kansas City metro area.
The owner-operators in Kansas City and St. Joseph will hold a similar fundraiser on Wednesday for communities in that region, as well as to help Nebraska and Iowa communities. That fundraiser is also expected to raise more than $100,000 for the cause.