Now is usually about the time that we all start lining up for ice cream cones at our local shop to beat the heat. However, COVID-19 has made that impossible, at least for the time being.
Annoying as that may be, there are many people far more impacted by the disease than not getting ice cream.
Detroit is one of the hardest hit. Many people are hungry, and charities need help to meet the need.
Moose Tracks Ice Cream is committed to providing some of that assistance.
It has launched its first-ever virtual fundraiser, the #MooseTracksChallenge, in support of the Salvation Army of Metro Detroit. The program is a twist on the brand’s annual cross-country philanthropy tour, The 10,000 Scoop Challenge. Normally, the company donates $1 for every scoop of ice cream eaten at the event to some branch of the Salvation Army.
The new digital campaign invites fans to help raise $10,000 for the nonprofit’s Bed & Bread Club, which provides food for the hungry, from the comfort of their own homes.
The usual road show has been swapped with a posting a picture of yourself with “antlers” on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #MooseTracksChallenge. Every image posted earns a dollar for the charity.
Moose Tracks also encourages participants to display a video of themselves doing a unique #MooseTracksChallenge dance on the social media platform Tik Tok, with the hashtag #MooseTracksChallenge. Each video will garner a $1 donation for the Bed & Bread Club. The dance can be seen here.
“In lieu of a physical event and to remain in accordance with CDC guidelines, we took our largest, in-person charitable giving platform and turned it on its head,” says Neal Glaeser, president and CEO of Denali, Moose Tracks Ice Cream’s parent company. “We wanted to remain involved and connected with our longtime partner, The Salvation Army, and we’re glad to be hosting our third event since 2010 with the command of Metro Detroit.”
Bed and Bread Club, run by the Eastern Michigan Division of The Salvation Army, provides food to Detroit’s hungry and offers them with shelter for the nigh for those who have no place to sleep.
Needless to say, many people depending on this program can’t “shelter in place” and may have difficulty getting proper medical attention if they do contract the disease.
COVID-19 has made it more difficult for the Bed & Breakfast Club to provide the needed help. Most of the usual volunteers have had to be scaled back for safety reasons, and the trucks have had to make changes. The outsides of the trucks have been made more resistant to the disease, so it won’t linger as long. While necessary, these precautions have given a hit to the organization’s funds.
“I’ve seen this money go to a good cause,” says Major Tim Meyer, general secretary and metro Detroit area commander for The Salvation Army Eastern Michigan Division
For the last 10 years Moose Tracks Ice Cream has gone on a nationwide summer road trip to host 10,000 Scoop Challenge events to fundraise for local Salvation Army chapters. Since the program’s inception, the company has donated more than $420,000 for Salvation Army chapters across the country.
Admittedly, it’s a drag that you don’t get the free ice cream this year, few people, who aren’t lactose intolerant, will deny that reality. Still, you can do your part to help the Salvation Army’s Bed and Breakfast program provide for vulnerable Detroit residents. All you have to do is a picture of yourself with “antlers” on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #MooseTracksChallenge. Remember, every image posted earns a dollar for the charity.
Put your antlers on and help Moose Tracks Ice Cream raise $10,000 for Salvation Army of Metro added by M Lapham on
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