For the fourth consecutive year, Culver’s restaurants across the Midwest will donate 10% of their net sales on April 22, to Living Lands & Waters in celebration of Earth Day.
Over 80 participating Culver’s restaurants will participate, including all five of the Quad Cities restaurants. Living Lands & Waters, is a river cleanup organization committed to preserving and restoring America’s waterways.
Founded in 1998 by the Quad Cities own Chad Pregracke, Living Lands & Waters has evolved into the only “industrial-sized” river cleanup operation like it in the United States. Through the dedication of over 130,000 volunteers, the organization has removed a staggering 13 million pounds of debris from 26 rivers, while also delivering free education workshops to over 25,000 students and planting more than 2 million native trees.
“I want to thank everybody at Culver’s for continuing to help us and our mission of cleaning up America’s rivers in a huge way,” Mr. Pregracke, who serves as president of Living Lands & Waters, said. “We simply couldn’t accomplish all that we do without the support of compassionate individuals and organizations like theirs.”
The fundraising effort with Culvers started in 2021 with 13 participating establishments and by 2023, 33 restaurants had joined the effort. In addition, the charitable arm of the Culver’s Foundation has contributed to the funds raised for Living Lands & Waters. Since the effort began, Culver’s has donated more than $53,000 to Living Lands & Waters.
This year marks a milestone as over 80 Culver’s restaurants join forces to support the cause, illustrating the remarkable commitment to community involvement and environmental consciousness of these independent Owners / Operators.
“I could not be more excited about the growth of this very special event.” said Mike Martel, Culver’s owner/operator. “The independent Culver’s owners and Culver Franchising have always sought out ways to give back to their respective communities. In this partnership with LL&W we have the unique opportunity to also have a global impact while raising awareness of this outstanding organization.”
The impact of this one-day fundraiser cannot be overstated. Proceeds from the event play a pivotal role in funding Living Lands & Waters’ mission to clean up and restore the nation’s rivers.
Twenty-seven Culver’s establishments will support the cause throughout the day, with 54 additional locations joining the initiative from 4 to 8 p.m. All the area Culver’s establishments will be donating throughout the day.
Local Culver’s restaurants donating all day include, in Iowa, Bettendorf, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Clinton, both Davenport locations, Muscatine; and in Illinois Dixon, Galesburg, Geneseo, Moline, Rock Falls, and Silvis.
