SUFFOLK, Va. — What do the reality show “The Biggest Loser,” the Suffolk Family YMCA, and SUBWAY® Restaurants have in common? All support living a healthy lifestyle, and this past weekend all three converged to help provide others with the means to do so.
This past Saturday, March 3, more than 600 people descended upon the Suffolk Family YMCA to vie for a chance to be a contestant on the next edition of NBC’s hit reality TV show “The Biggest Loser,” while an additional 200 people were attending a YMCA swim meet.
Realizing a potential “food crisis,” YMCA staff contacted Doug Eitel, owner of eight local SUBWAY® stores, with an urgent request to help feed the masses. In merely three-day’s time, Eitel and 10 dedicated SUBWAY® employees devised a plan to not only feed the crowd, but also raise money for the YMCA’s “We Build People” program.
“We have a strong relationship with the Suffolk Family YMCA and were more than happy to help with this exciting event,” Eitel said. “We also saw an opportunity to raise money for the organization, so we decided to provide free subs and ask for donations instead. Since Subway supports living a healthy lifestyle it was a win-win situation.”
During the event, SUBWAY® employees served hungry auditioners, athletes and everyone in between a total of 1,399 sandwiches, including 1,039 six-inch and 360 foot long sandwiches. The group also served a total of 540 apples, 660 bags of chips and 896 bottles of water.
At the end of the day, nearly $1,100 was raised for the YMCA’s “We Build People” program. Bristy Goff, vice president and director of operations for Eitel’s SUBWAY® stores, who supervised, said her crew did a phenomenal job, working non-stop from 9 a.m. to 7p.m. They were exhausted, but thrilled at their effort and the funds raised, she said.
Goff’s crew consisted of SUBWAY® employees Casey Lindblad, Sherri Smith, Lorena Steward, Shirley Everette, Ciquera Faulk, Dianne Asuquo, Patricia Jones, Joseph Adams and Dontá Steward.
The YMCA is a place where everyone is welcome regardless of age, race, religion or financial circumstances. The “We Build People” program allows the YMCA, through annual gifts, to provide the financial assistance to ensure that its programs and services are available to children and families who need them the most.
About SUBWAY® Restaurants
With more than 28,500 locations in 86 countries, the SUBWAY® Restaurant chain is the world’s largest submarine sandwich franchise. In 2002, the SUBWAY® chain surpassed McDonald’s in the number of restaurants open in the United States and Canada. Headquartered in Milford, Conn., the SUBWAY® Restaurant chain was co-founded by Fred DeLuca and Dr. Peter Buck in 1965. Their partnership continues today, making it possible for thousands of individuals to own, build and succeed in their own business. The SUBWAY® brand was recently ranked as the number one global franchise opportunity in Entrepreneur magazine’s 2008 Annual Franchise 500® listing. For more information on SUBWAY® Restaurants, please visit http://www.subway.com.
