SHANGHAI, Aug. 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Yum China Holdings, Inc. ("the company" or "Yum China") (NYSE: YUMC) has announced the official launch of the 2018 One Yuan Donation program. Held on an annual basis, the signature, nationwide campaign will take place from August 11 to August 31 in all KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, East Dawning and select Little Sheep restaurants across China.

In partnership with the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA), Yum China founded the One Yuan Donation program in 2008 to improve the health and wellbeing of children living in impoverished regions across China, as well as to ensure young people develop a better understanding of the value of a nutritious, well-balanced diet.

Over the years, Yum China has developed an effective fundraising platform that harnesses the power of giving back through scale. In addition to facilitating restaurant donations in over 8,000 locations across the country, mobile and online platforms have also become important channels for customers to contribute to this year's campaign. With over 180 million loyalty members on the KFC and Pizza Hut's Super Apps, Yum China leverages its unrivaled digital capabilities to provide an infrastructure that will allow this program to further expand its reach among customers in China.   

"We embarked on this amazing journey 11 years ago and we are honored to have been able to touch the lives of hundreds of thousands of school children in impoverished regions across China. We could not have accomplished this without the generosity of our 460,000 employees and millions of customers," said Joey Wat, CEO of Yum China. "By embedding our digital capabilities into the One Yuan Donation program, we hope to expand the reach of this initiative and drive tangible change for thousands more children across China."

Every year, senior representatives from Yum China and the CFPA personally take part in the One Yuan Donation program. This year, Joey Wat, Chief Executive Officer at Yum China, and the Leadership Team will visit select Yum China restaurants to encourage customers to actively take part in the campaign, and to share stories about the impact this initiative has had on children living in impoverished communities in China.

The One Yuan Donation program promotes the belief that anyone can make an impact and in celebration of the 11th anniversary, Yum China and the CFPA have released "The Wing of Love" theme song, adapted from a poem written by a girl named Xie Qing, who was a victim of the devastating 2008 Sichuan earthquake and one of the first beneficiaries of the program. Xie Qing's dream is to "go back to the mountains to be a kindergarten teacher... and return her love to society", providing a powerful example of how anyone can make an impact and give back to their communities. The song will be played in all KFC restaurants across the country during the campaign, spreading a message of love, compassion and gratitude.

About the One Yuan Donation Program

The One Yuan Donation program is one of the earliest examples of a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program in China that advocates the concept that anyone can make an impact on society. Every year, the program runs in Yum China restaurants across China for up to 3 weeks, encouraging customers and employees to donate a single yuan to enrich the diets of children in impoverished regions. It has made a significant impact on the lives of millions of people - for both those receiving and donating funds. In April 2018, the program was awarded the Best Community Program Award at the 10th annual Global CSR Summit.

As of the end of 2017, the One Yuan Donation program had received more than 110 million donations and raised over RMB 170 million, providing over 37.4 million nutritious meals and benefiting more than 547,000 children across eight provinces in China. The One Yuan Donation program has also helped to construct "Love Kitchen" equipment for 860 schools in impoverished communities across the country. In addition to providing nutritious meals, the One Yuan Donation program also enhances children's understanding of health and nutrition by distributing pamphlets and books on topics related to nutrition education. This serves to strengthen children's understanding of the importance of maintaining a healthy, well-balanced diet, as well as shape the way their families think about food and eating habits.

About Yum China Holdings, Inc.

Yum China Holdings, Inc. is a licensee of Yum! Brands in mainland China, with a vision to become the world's most innovative pioneer in the restaurant industry. It has exclusive rights in mainland China to KFC, China's leading quick-service restaurant brand, Pizza Hut, the leading casual dining restaurant brand in China, and Taco Bell, a California-based restaurant chain serving innovative Mexican-inspired food. Yum China also owns the Little Sheep and East Dawning concepts outright. As of the end of June 2018, the Company had over 8,100 restaurants and more than 460,000 employees in over 1,200 cities across China. For more information, please visit http://ir.yumchina.com

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SOURCE Yum China Holdings, Inc