Bakers Delight has been awarded the ‘Franchisor Social Responsibility Award’ at the Franchise Council of Australia MYOB Excellence in Franchising Awards, held last week at the 2009 FCA Gala Awards Dinner in Perth.

Chris Caldwell, General Manager of Marketing & Operational Support at Bakers Delight, said the network is continually developing and implementing community, social and environmental initiatives.

“Our commitment to local communities is pivotal to our connection with the Australian market. Having strong community links also reinforces that we aren’t a faceless brand – bakeries are run by real people from real communities,” he said. “Bakery employees get a lot of satisfaction from going back to the local communities they serve. There is a feeling of making a real difference to the lives of so many – it brings staff and the community together.”

Bakers Delight has been a major corporate partner of Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) for nine years, raising almost $3.7 million in this time. Through its bakery network, the company donates approximately $143 million of bread to charities each year.

Other community engagement programs include the Top Sports grants program which saw Bakers Delight invest over $250,000 in 60 grassroots sporting clubs and 20 schools across Australia, and the Bundraiser campaign where bakeries donated $1 from every six pack of Hot Cross Buns sold to purchase equipment for children’s hospitals around Australia.

The company said their ‘green’ commitment included the rollout of new artisan ovens, which will result in a 25 per cent reduction in energy resources, and the use of environmentally friendly calico bags.

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