Second Chances and Big Yellow Cup T-Shirts

One of the best parts of Fall is Dickey’s Barbecue build day for Rebuilding Together Greater Dallas. On October 5th, Dickey’s corporate staff ditched their usual corporate attire for the chance to show their skills and wield axes, shovels, rakes, and wheelbarrows.

This is all part of a cause close to the hearts of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. and its staff. It involves lending a helping hand to Rebuilding Together Greater Dallas, a non-profit organization that has worked for over 30 years to provide repairs and handicap accessibility to homes owned by low-income elderly, disabled, veterans and families with small children.

The Rebuilding Together Greater Dallas told us a female veteran, who is a single mother of four, would be receiving this house in November. The touching story and the fact that we were amped up on Starbucks really had us eager to begin. We put on our donated work gloves and spread out to complete our tasks.

The home that we would be transforming sat on a grass-less lot with a broken chain link fence with siding and foundation crumbling around it. You could see the potential of it becoming a home.

Some of us spent the day ripping down rotted siding while others worked on landscaping and interior work. At noon we all took a break to enjoy some boxed lunches from Dickey’s Barbecue Pit—delicious!

At the end of the day, our Big Yellow Cups t-shirts were a little less yellow and our faces were striped with dirt, but our team was all smiles. The house was taking shape and all that remained was a fresh start—a new beginning. We were happy to be a part of something special and can’t wait to get our shirts dirty again! 

Dickey’s has been a proud supporter of veteran’s and active military personnel since it opened in 1941. The company was named a Top Military Friendly Franchise by G.I. Magazine earlier this year for offering discounts and incentives that help veterans open their own restaurants. In addition, Dickey’s is teaming up with Heinz and the Wounded Warrior Project this Fall for the “Our Turn to Serve” campaign which gives customers the opportunity to send a thank you note to active military personnel through QR codes on special bottles of Heinz Ketchup.