Influential social-conservatives have banded together to urge Chick-fil-A to do an about-face on its decision to stop donating to The Salvation Army.
Brent Bozell (Founder and President Media Research Center), Kay Coles James
(President, The Heritage Foundation), Lt. Col. Allen B. West (US Army, Retired, Member, 112 US Congress), and an extensive list of other famous conservative faces have signed a letter asking the fast-food giant to resume its support for the famous charity, in addition to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Chick-fil-A relented to years of pressure by LGBTQ activist groups earlier this month.
“We are tremendously disappointed at your company’s complicity in defaming the mission and intent of the Salvation Army, one of America’s oldest and most accomplished charitable organizations,” a letter obtained by The Washington Times reads.
“Your company’s stated mission is ’To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come into contact with Chick-fil-A,’ ” the writers noted.
“Yet, by bowing to the pressure of left-wing extremist groups, you’ve allowed those ’faithful stewards’ of the Salvation Army to be branded as ’extremists,’ likely triggering a series of future events detrimental to the organization and the millions of American poor they serve,” they concluded.
DOCUMENT: Read: The Letter to Chick-Fil-A CEO Dan Cathy from conservative leaders
Dan Cathy, the company’s president and CEO has been accused by left-wing activists of discrimination since 2012 because he holds a Christian definition of marriage.
“When you were under attack by the left in 2012, America’s families stood with you,” the letter continues. “We, the signers of this letter, stood with you, and many of us urged our supporters to do the same. We helped form long lines at your stores, stretching out the doors and around the buildings, in many cases. As a result, your restaurant chain vaulted into the top 3 nationwide.”
“But, your latest decisions to withdraw charitable giving to the Salvation Army and other Christian charities has betrayed the very people who stood with you. You have instead allied yourself with a bully-tactic leftist movement that will never be satisfied with your compromises.”
The Christian-friendly restaurant chain sees things differently.
“We made multiyear commitments to both organizations, and we fulfilled those obligations in 2018,” a company spokesperson said on Nov. 18. “Moving forward you will see that the Chick-fil-A Foundation will support the three specific initiatives of homelessness, hunger and education.”
“Additionally, the Foundation will no longer make multiyear commitments and will reassess its philanthropic partnerships annually to allow maximum impact,” the company said in a press release. “These partners could include faith-based and non-faith-based charities.”
Other signatories include:
- J. Christian Adams: President and General Counsel Public Interest Legal Foundation
- Aaron Baer: President Citizens for Community Values
- Dr. David L. Black: Founder and Chairman 2nd Vote
- Hon. J. Kenneth Blackwell: Former United States Ambassador United Nations Human Rights Commission
- Morton C. Blackwell: President Leadership Institute
- Andersen Blom: President Hawaiian Values
- Dick Bott: Founder Bott Radio Network
- Rich Bott: Chairman/CEO Bott Radio Network
- Susan Carleson: Chairman American Civil Rights Union
- Stephanie Coleman: Executive Director Liberty Action Network
- Chad Connelly: President Faith Wins
- Charlie Copeland: President Intercollegiate Studies Institute
- Justin Danhof: General Counsel National Center for Public Policy
- Dr. Tim Daughtry: Author and Commentator
- Elaine Donnelly: President Center for Military Readiness
- Becky Norton Dunlop: Reagan Administration (1981-1989)
- Robert K. Fischer: Meeting Coordinator Conservatives of Faith
- Daniel Greenfield: Shillman Journalism Fellow David Horowitz Freedom Center
- Rebecca Hagelin: Columnist The Washington Times
- Colin A. Hanna: President Let Freedom Ring
- Philip B. Haney: Founding Member DHS, CBP Officer (Ret.)
- Jake Hoffman: President & CEO Rally Forge
- Bishop E. W. Jackson: President STAND Foundation, Inc
- Sheryl Kaufman: Board Member Americans for Limited Government
- Andrew Klavan: The Daily Wire
- Kelly Kullberg: Author American Association of Evangelicals (AAE)
- David Kupelian Vice President and Managing Editor WND.com
- Jim Ross Lightfoot: Member of Congress (ret)
- Trevor Loudon: Author, Film maker
- Rick Manning: President Americans for Limited Government
- Gary Marx: Former Executive Director Faith & Freedom Coalition
- John McLaughlin: McLaughlin & Associates
- Cleta Mitchell: Attorney Washington, DC
- Stella Morabito: Author
- Penny Nance: CEO and President Concerned Women for America
- Lisa B. Nelson: CEO American Legislative Exchange Council
- Richard Norman: Founder and President The Richard Norman Company
- Dr. Everett Piper: Former University President, Author & Washington Times Columnist
- Nancy Schulze Co-founder with Vonette Bright The American Prayer Initiative
- Kelly Shackelford: President/CEO First Liberty Institute
- James Simpson: Author, Investigative Journalist
- Carlton H. Smith: President Architekton Global, Inc.
- Mat Staver: Founder and Chairman Liberty Counsel
- Ginni Thomas: President Liberty Consulting
- Richard A. Viguerie: Chairman ConservativeHQ.com
- Billie Tucker Volpe: CEO Service Bureau, Inc.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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