On Wednesday (Aug. 17), adults and kids alike came en masse to White Spot Restaurants to dine on Pirate Paks and help raise money for Zajac Ranch for Children.
Two dollars from the sale of every Pirate Pak and donations received in lieu of Pirate Paks raised $46,714 — exceeding expectations and bringing the grand total funds over the course of the charitable program to more than $152,000.
Zajac Ranch for Children is a long-time B.C. charity dedicated to giving children with life-threatening illnesses and chronic disabilities a chance to enjoy an extraordinary summer camp experience.
“The response to Pirate Pak Day 2011 by both the young and the young at heart has been phenomenal,” said Warren Erhart, president of White Spot.
“It’s great to see Pirate Paks bringing out the kid in all of us, especially for such a worthy cause. Wednesday we sold a record 21,627 Pirate Paks and it’s because of our guest’s generosity that even more kids will be able to enjoy all the horseback riding, kayaking and water sports that Zajac Ranch has to offer."
Now in its second year offering a special edition “Adult Pirate Pak” and fourth year since the program’s inception, Pirate Pak Day has become almost as legendary as White Spot’s beloved meals themselves. People across the province expressed their excitement on Twitter yesterday:
• "A little known fact, Pirate Paks are one of the reasons I had kids!"
• "Finally, no need to borrow someone’s kid!"
• "Awesome! Adult pirate packs?!!?? BEST. DAY. EVER."
• At White Spot to have my Pirate Pak and support Zajac Ranch! But mostly so I can eat out of a boat!!"
• "#piratepakday is awesome, so nostalgic"
• "I just finished the best dinner date ever: #PiratePaks for #PiratePakDay at @White_Spot And $4 went to charity. I'd call that winning."
“White Spot’s contribution makes a critical difference in the lives of so many children who continue to be enriched through our camp program,” said Mel Zajac, founder of the Zajac Ranch for Children. “Pirate Pak Day has truly become synonymous with happiness. We thank everyone who made an effort to come out to White Spot on Pirate Pak Day. It’s so important to us.”
Headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, White Spot is a B.C. legend. Founded in 1928, when Nat Bailey launched Canada's first drive-in restaurant at Granville Street and 67 Avenue, the 83-year-old chain now sees more than 17 million guests annually at 121 White Spot and Triple O's locations throughout B.C. (including Surrey and Delta), Alberta and Asia. Bailey's original vision was to build a restaurant that served the highest quality, unique tasting food and White Spot remains committed to continuing this tradition in each and every meal.