DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Zoës Kitchen, a fast-casual restaurant that delivers goodness from the inside out by creating homemade Mediterranean food, today announced a sponsorship of Zoë Goes Running – a first-of-its kind undertaking by world-class runner Zoë Romano to bring awareness and raise funding for the World Pediatric Project (WPP). Zoë Romano, one of only a handful of women to run solo across the U.S., is on a mission to make history by becoming the first person to run the Tour de France. The effort is delivering goodness by raising funds to benefit the WPP, an organization that aims to save the lives of critically ill children.
Inspired by Zoë Romano’s efforts, Zoës Kitchen is giving guests the opportunity to get involved and support the project’s mission of delivering goodness to sick children through its “Give $5, Get $5” campaign. Give $5, Get $5, which launched last week, invites guests to help Zoë Romano’s cause by making a $5 donation to WPP, which Zoës Kitchen will then reward with a mobile app goodie for $5 off any menu item at Zoës Kitchen during the subsequent two-week period. Guests can make a donation at any Zoës Kitchen location, or online at www.zoeskitchen.com through July 20, 2013. Five days in to the campaign, Zoës Kitchen is more than halfway towards reaching its goal of raising $50,000 for Zoë Goes Running and WPP.
“We are proud to be supporting Zoë Romano as she embarks on a truly extraordinary feat that will benefit such an important cause,” said Kevin Miles, CEO of Zoës Kitchen. “At Zoës Kitchen we are driven by a philosophy of delivering goodness, and we believe we have found a strong partner in Zoë as she is wholeheartedly aligned with this same mission. Our guests are incredibly generous and have already demonstrated how inspired they are by Zoë’s mission with significant donations in such a short period. I’m excited to personally be able to congratulate her as she crosses the finish line this July and share a large contribution to her cause on behalf of Zoës Kitchen and our guests.”
On a journey that began on May 18, Zoë is running more than 2,000 miles along the Tour de France course, averaging 30 miles per day, with the goal of completing the race in nine weeks – finishing in Paris one day ahead of the tour’s peloton. Zoë is aiming to secure at least 1,000 “team members” to pledge donations and help her raise at least $100,000 for WPP. The funds Zoë Romano and Zoës Kitchen jointly raise will send pediatric teams to WPP’s partner countries on week-long surgery missions and help bring four children to the U.S. for more complex care.
“We are in awe of the kindness and support we have already received from the Zoës Kitchen community! Our missions are really one in the same. We both want to deliver goodness and inspire others who can impact the world like Zoë Romano,” said Susan Rickman, president of World Pediatric Project. “We are honored to partner with Zoës Kitchen this summer and know we can achieve great things together.”
Fans can follow Zoë Romano’s journey through regular video updates from the runner and share words of encouragement via the Zoës Kitchen Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ZoesKitchen).
For additional information on Zoës Kitchen, visit www.ZoesKitchen.com. For further information on Zoë Goes Running, you can visit www.zoegoesrunning.com/ and for information on WPP, visit www.worldpediatricproject.org/.
About Zoës Kitchen
Founded in 1995, Zoës Kitchen is a fast-casual restaurant that delivers goodness from the inside out by creating homemade Mediterranean food designed to help you celebrate life with family and friends. Zoës Kitchen offers authentic, better-for-you dishes that are hand-prepared daily with wholesome, close-to-the-garden ingredients and a side of Southern hospitality. Dedicated to delivering delicious, fresh and convenient in-store and takeout meal solutions, Zoës Kitchen allows families to get out of the kitchen and enjoy more time together. All Zoës Kitchen recipes are made using good, honest ingredients that are chemical-free and sourced locally when possible, as well as fresh, never frozen poultry – and it’s no secret that Zoës never uses fryers or microwaves when preparing its meals. Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free dishes are also available.
Zoës Kitchen has 87 locations in 15 states across the U.S. For more information, please visit www.zoeskitchen.com, www.facebook.com/ZoesKitchen or twitter.com/ZoesKitchen.
About World Pediatric Project
World Pediatric Project is a nonprofit, humanitarian organization founded and based in Richmond, Virginia, that provides surgical and diagnostic care to Central American and Caribbean children while creating and implementing programs to heal the children of tomorrow. This mission is accomplished by mobilizing hospitals and teams of generous pediatric specialists, who volunteer their time and expertise to help thousands of children who need critical care, yet have no access to it in their home countries. With the volunteer help of these dedicated doctors and nurses, World Pediatric Project brings children to partner hospitals in the U.S. and sends pediatric diagnostic and surgical teams to developing countries. Thousands of children have received direct services since 2001. For more information, please visit www.worldpediatricproject.org or www.facebook.com/worldpediatricproject.
About Zoë Romano
Romano is a runner and writer based out of Richmond, VA. In 2011 she ran 2,867 miles across the US, alone, becoming the first female to ever complete such a trek without support vehicle and raising over $15,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. She has spoken at various youth-based events, been a guest of sports podcasts and radio shows. Romano first fell in love with running while a student at the University of Richmond, from where she graduated magna cum laude in 2009 with degrees in Spanish and International Studies. She currently writes an outdoor column for Philadelphia-based Ditch Magazine and tutors Spanish in Richmond, VA. For more information, please visit www.zoegoesrunning.wordpress.com or www.facebook.com/zoegoesrunning.
