McDonald’s Saipan is more than just fastfood

McDonald’s has evolved so much into a household name that the mere mention of the words “hamburger” or “french fries” is almost automatically associated with the fastfood restaurant’s name.

However, over the years, as a modern and progressive hamburger firm, McDonald’s has grown more than mere product branding. In the CNMI, the company that operates the McDonald’s franchise has taken steps to become more involved in the community as a facet to its social responsibility.

McDonald’s Saipan assists and supports sports and athletics events, youth development, foundations, partnerships with the Public School System, educational entities, promotion of human welfare, working with other social organizations, and environment protection.

Early this year, McDonald’s Saipan renewed its commitment to Little League players, underscoring its dedication to the island’s budding athletic talents. McDonald’s has been sponsoring the Saipan Little League Baseball for 15 years now. In fact, for the 2017 Saipan Little League Baseball season, McDonald’s was one of the 10 teams competing in the majors division.

Joe E. Ayuyu Jr., the general manager of McDonald’s Middle Road branch, said that they love to see children go out and play sports. “We at McDonald’s want to promote an active lifestyle for our youth by encouraging them to play sports.”

In May, McDonald’s Saipan was able to assist in three causes that involved community development.

First, it sponsored a hole in a golf tournament that would go to the improvement of classrooms or professional development training of the Northern Marianas College Foundation.

McDonald’s Saipan president Joe Ayuyu believes that education is an investment. “We don’t see the golf tournament as just another event that we are donating to. We really see the money that we are giving as money to support the education of students or possibly fund someone whose dream is to one day become a businessman.”

Second, McDonald’s Saipan supported beautification projects in the CNMI by sponsoring a hole-in-one prize at the Governor’s Tournament of Champions, which was held at the Laolao Bay Golf & Resort.

Third, McDonald’s assisted the Northern Marianas Athletics for the 13th consecutive time, in support of the Public School System/McDonald’s All School Athletics Championship.

Ayuyu Jr. said that McDonald’s is always happy to support events that give students opportunities.

In June, McDonald’s supported the Northern Marianas Trades Institute’s fundraising gala. McDonald’s owner/operator Marcia Ayuyu said, “NMTI has been providing our community with trades education in areas critically needed. As a stakeholder, we feel the school is making strides in the right direction. McDonald’s wants to be a part of that growth by investing in their fundraiser.”
This month, McDonald’s Saipan was engaged in two outreach efforts. First was humanitarian assistance to the families of the three Filipino workers who perished in a wastewater tank accident on Saipan. “We empathize with the family of that are affected and this was our way of assisting them,” Ayuyu Jr. said.

It is also the vision of McDonald’s Saipan to support environmental stewardship and spreading environmental protection by educating the community through the Micronesia Islands Nature Alliance.

In line with this, McDonald’s Saipan has moved in a direction to develop ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle at its restaurants. According to Ayuyu Jr., McDonald’s wants to build awareness of how the restaurant can be sustainable. “Last year, our packaging moved from plastic and Styrofoam to recyclable paper bags, paper cups, and burger containers like the Big Mac box.”
The company has also participated in the International Coastal Cleanup and has adopted 17 bus shelters on Saipan that it repainted and maintains regularly.

Promoting a healthier lifestyle and better food choices for the community is part of McDonald’s’ program. “When we say better, we mean less preservatives. We use natural flavorings,” Ayuyu Jr. said.

“As part of McDonald’s responsibility, we listen to community groups to help the CNMI be a better place—protect the Earth, protect the resources, and do what we can,” he added.

For more information about McDonald’s’ community outreach and activities, visit www.mcdonaldsguamandsaipan.com.