Giving Extra DDP Credits to Charity?

[N10CJT]

After reading so many posts about people buying all sorts of arbitrary things with their leftover snack credits simply to get rid of those credits, it occured to me that something better could be done here.

How about developing a system whereby those credits could go towards purchases for charity. For instance, how great would it be to send some Disney-themed snacks to a children's cancer ward or an orphanage?

This isn't an indictment of those who exhaust their credits in this manner-- getting as much as you can for your money is totally reasonable. But since Disney is all about creating magic, maybe the benefits of redirecting those credits to someplace special outweighs the economy of buying stuff you really don't want all that much at the end of an amazing trip?

Anyway, I have no idea how to go about developing this idea, or even a notion about its ultimate feasibility. But the idea seems like it's worth exploring.... what does everyone think?

 

[queenof3]

It's a great idea. I just don't know how hard it would be for Disney to do! But then again, it's all about the magic!!

 

[GinnyFavers]

Cash flow and the timely ordering of supplies, as well as planning labor, is the main reason to sell prepaid meals at a discount, not the hope that people will pay for meals they don't eat... but it sure is a bonus.

May even make it come out so that the meals aren't really at a discount at all, when all the prepaid plans taken as a group are averaged out. Maybe that's the whole idea.

Not to say Disney doesn't do a lot for charity, they really do.

 

[CanadianGuy]

If they were transferable at all.. this would be doable.

But non-transferable is indeed non-transferable in this case.

Moving this over to Disney Dining Plan board..

Knox

 

[TDC Nala]

Since they expire when you check out, and are not transferable, they're not going to be able to use them that way.

What sort of charity (other than Make A Wish or the like, which I believe already provide meals for their clients) would be able to get their recipients into WDW to use the restaurants? Or are you talking just about snack credits, for items that would then be removed from Disney property to be given? Most likely that wouldn't work, and it would make more sense for Disney to just directly donate items if they are so inclined and are able to.

 

[ChelleinNC]

It would be nice just done on an individual basis. Buy the Mickey candy or lollipops and take them to your local childrens hospital or womens shelter. Just a thought

 

[TDC Nala]

oh, well, if you use them yourself and distribute the food, that can probably be done, as long as the places you are distributing to allow you to donate food.

But as far as Disney doing the donating, couldn't understand what they'd need the credits for.

 

[septbaby]

During a recent trip to Disney I noticed a Disney Harvest truck. It gave me the impression that this truck was likely used to collect overages from the on site restaurants and transfer them to food banks or soup kitchens. So you don't need to worry about "doing the right thing", the Mouse is doing that too.

Just found this on the web:
"In 2006, the Disney Harvest program donated more than 26,500 pounds of prepared food per month - valued at more than $1.8 million - as part of a program run by the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida."

That's a lot of excess DDP credits!

 

[N10CJT]

My thought was that Disney could make such donations in the names of their guests. Obviously they can make whatever donations to charity that they deem fit, but technically this would be guests doing the donating. I was just thinking that because a lot of guests just exhaust their credits on whatever they can pick out of their resort's markets, Disney could perhaps offer to put those towards things to send to a charity. Since the food would be paid for anyway and most times it would be leaving Disney property in some capacity, it might be a nice gesture to say to guests "don't worry about exhausting those extra credits an hour before you leave, we'll be donating the equivalent of them in themed food to this or that children's hospital or orphanage or something."
Well at this stage I'm not too worried about logistics and feasibility. Charity is about thoughtfulness and heart, and I was just thinking out loud about ways to spread some magic to people who really need it. Those of us who are so fortunate to be healthy and on an fun trip to such an amazing place could do worse than to think, if only momentarily and in proportion, about any means by which we might bring such happiness to others.
In any case, perhaps a more local movement is a good idea, as well. Maybe something like figure out who is going when and is from what area, and devote a couple credits to Mickey Mouse treats to be collected for children somewhere. Any ideas about doing things like this are worthwhile, I think, if only to spark discussion about what can be done.

 

[N10CJT]

During a recent trip to Disney I noticed a Disney Harvest truck. It gave me the impression that this truck was likely used to collect overages from the on site restaurants and transfer them to food banks or soup kitchens. So you don't need to worry about "doing the right thing", the Mouse is doing that too.

Just found this on the web:
"In 2006, the Disney Harvest program donated more than 26,500 pounds of prepared food per month - valued at more than $1.8 million - as part of a program run by the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida."

That's a lot of excess DDP credits!

See that's great, I'm happy to hear this is being done! Thanks for sharing!

It's not really about the responsibility of doing the right thing, though, and it's certainly not about worrying about it. The more magic-spreading the better is how I see it.... though it's heartwarming to hear of wonderful things being done by Disney, there's no reason to think that they-- and more to the point us-- can't imagine ways to do more! Like I said, I'm just floating ideas!

 

[TDC Nala]

My thought was that Disney could make such donations in the names of their guests. Obviously they can make whatever donations to charity that they deem fit, but technically this would be guests doing the donating. I was just thinking that because a lot of guests just exhaust their credits on whatever they can pick out of their resort's markets, Disney could perhaps offer to put those towards things to send to a charity. Since the food would be paid for anyway and most times it would be leaving Disney property in some capacity, it might be a nice gesture to say to guests "don't worry about exhausting those extra credits an hour before you leave, we'll be donating the equivalent of them in themed food to this or that children's hospital or orphanage or something."
Well at this stage I'm not too worried about logistics and feasibility. Charity is about thoughtfulness and heart, and I was just thinking out loud about ways to spread some magic to people who really need it. Those of us who are so fortunate to be healthy and on an fun trip to such an amazing place could do worse than to think, if only momentarily and in proportion, about any means by which we might bring such happiness to others.
In any case, perhaps a more local movement is a good idea, as well. Maybe something like figure out who is going when and is from what area, and devote a couple credits to Mickey Mouse treats to be collected for children somewhere. Any ideas about doing things like this are worthwhile, I think, if only to spark discussion about what can be done.

Even charity must consider logistics and feasibility.

 

[N10CJT]

I'm not disputing that, but why worry about these things immediately after an idea is raised?
There was a guy once who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He was given a few months to live. He chose to use that time to run.... run, with cancer.... across Canada in order to raise money for cancer associations, even though it was obscenely painful and it was shortening his already short life. He made it 2,000 miles before the cancer was just ravaging too much of his body. When he finally stopped, he apologized for failing everyone. That's what people can do when they don't worry about what can't be done.
I'm not asking people to run across Canada. I'm not even asking them to do anything right now. I don't devote my life to charity, or even a substantial portion of it, and I'm not telling people that they need to re-arrange their vacations or their lives or their corporate structure in order to accommodate a hairbrained scheme. I'm simply exploring ideas in hopes that something good can come of them. If people figure out something to get behind and to push for, fine.... if not, then whatever, keep thinking about other means to do something special. I've taught in universities and colleges for the last 7 years, and I've seen lots of ways that impossible gestures become possible simply because students and faculty alike are willing to entertain wild notions. The only useless idea is the lack of an idea itself.

 

[bicker]

The most constructive explorations of ideas come from thinking about what we ourselves can do to make things better, not thinking about what we can expect others to do.

 

[RoyalCanadian]

There was a guy once who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He was given a few months to live. He chose to use that time to run.... run, with cancer.... across Canada

You are talking about Terry Fox -- but even Terry concerned himself with logistics and feasibility. It also helped that nobody noticed he was running across Canada until well into his Marathon of Hope.