Local Owner-Operator’s Chick-fil-A Shared Table® Program and White Pony Express work together to turn surplus food into a source of hope
For Brent Allen, local Owner-Operator of Chick-fil-A Walnut Creek and Chick-fil-A The Willows, the responsibility of a restaurant owner extends far beyond the front doors. Through the Chick-fil-A Shared Table program, Allen and his team are ensuring that high-quality, surplus food finds its way to those who need it most across the East Bay Area.
The initiative is built on the principle of thoughtful stewardship. Rather than allowing perfectly good food to go to waste, the program redirects freshly prepared and high-quality surplus items like Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Strips®, biscuits and salads to local organizations.
“Being able to collaborate with local partners and go into the community to meet its needs where food insecurity is concerned enables us to go the second mile,” says Allen. “And that’s true to some of our restaurant values: to go above and beyond what’s expected.”
The daily impact of the program is made possible through a close partnership with White Pony Express, a local nonprofit dedicated to ending hunger and poverty. Eve Birge, CEO of White Pony Express, emphasizes that a warm, delicious meal can make all the difference for community members who are often forced to make difficult decisions between paying rent, covering bills, or buying food. For the team at White Pony Express, having the consistent support and local partnership of Chick-fil-A means they can provide more than just nutrition— they can provide a sense of security and care.
“It means a lot to have local support and local partnership,” says Birge. “They send their team to volunteer with us. It means everything to feed our neighbors.”
Since 2012, the Chick-fil-A Shared Table program has helped create over 42 million meals for those in need. Today, more than 2,500 Chick-fil-A restaurants across the U.S. and Canada participate in the program, partnering with local organizations to fight hunger. For Allen and his partners at White Pony Express, the goal remains clear: to ensure that in the Bay Area, no surplus goes to waste when it could be providing hope to a neighbor in need.
