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Sonic’s drive helps community

By Lisa Scheller - | Mar 3, 2004

Last week, Sonic employees did what they could to change their community.

With assistance from Tonganoxie area residents.

And in the process, Katie Brest, a four-year employee of the Tonganoxie Sonic, and the fast food restaurant’s marketing manager, tried her best to make her co-workers join forces against one another.

And, to the benefit of the others, it worked.

By Friday, afternoon, the teams of employees had collected $100 in cash, hundreds of non-perishable food items and clothing.

“We’re going to call the local churches and the thrift store and for anybody that needs it we’re going to give it back to them,” Brest said.

Sonic owner Charlie Krout said the drive was a positive project for the store.

“I was just very proud of my crew and the way they came out and it just goes to show you what people can do when they work together,” Krout said.

Brest explained that each year Sonic stores in the area compete with other stores in various competitions. This year they decided to see how much they could give back to their communities.

The drive consisted of three phases in three days — last Wednesday through Friday — Brest said.

“We did Change the Community, Feed the Community and Clothe the Community,” she added.

For the Change the Community, customers at Sonic were asked if they’d like to donate their spare change.

When it came time to Feed the Community, customers, and especially store employees, came through.

“I had one kid that works here bring in over 160 cans of food,” Brest said.

And once again, customers came through on the clothing drive.

“One lady brought three bags of clothes,” Brest said. “That was pretty wonderful.”

Brest, who is a senior marketing major at the University of Missouri at Kansas City, said the work was good practical experience for her. She organized the drive, the publicity and rounded up her employees to work together in teams.

By Saturday, more than 3,000 items had been donated, said Krout, who has been an owner of the Tonganoxie Sonic more than four years.

“Now that we know what we can do here, we’ll do more of these drives,” Krout said. “I want to get out there and do what we can, because the community has been really good to us.”