Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s, was an orphan immediately after his birth in 1932 in Atlantic City, N.J. Thomas never knew his birth parents and was adopted by a couple from Kalamazoo, Mich. His adoptive mother from Michigan died when he was just five years old.
Thomas’ passion for food service helped him weather the storms of his childhood. He began working in the restaurant industry at age 12. He later worked as a soda jerk for Walgreens, but was fired after his boss figured out how young he was. Thomas continued working in the restaurant industry, and many years later, he opened his own restaurant, “Wendy’s,” which he named after his daughter Melinda. (Her nickname was Wendy.)
Because of his own childhood journey, Thomas founded the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption in 1992 to help children facing the same challenges he did. According to its website, Thomas’ vision for the foundation was “to ensure every child has a permanent and loving family.”
Thomas sadly passed away in 2002, but his foundation continued to do incredible work in the community. In 2004, the Dave Thomas Foundation launched its Wendy’s Wonderful Kids initiative, which provides money to full-time professionals who help children find the loving families they deserve. Wendy’s launched an expansion of the program in 2017, and is seeking to find permanent homes for 60,000 children by 2029.
Wendy’s new fundraiser with Snapchat is helping the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids initiative reach that goal.
Thanks to help from Wendy’s partners Dr Pepper and Coca-Cola, Wendy’s customers can “Support adoption in a snap” by simply taking a picture with the new fundraiser cups. For each Snapchat story, $5 is donated to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. It’s an easy way to enjoy your favorite drink while supporting children in need.
Interestingly, Dave Thomas is exactly the kind of person the abortion industry tells women they need to abort. He was born out of wedlock to parents who did not expect him and could not properly care for him. Thomas’ mother surely faced a great amount of fear and stress. Despite this, she bravely chose life, and through the beautiful gift of adoption, Thomas went on to live a remarkably successful life.
Dave Thomas may not be with us any longer, but his restaurant, his legacy, and his passion for helping children is stronger than ever.
