Huddle House franchisee Gregg Hansen, who operates seven locations in Tennessee and Georgia, has made a name for himself as a supporter of local education.
One way he connects with students and teachers is through their stomachs, by donating food that he and his staff serve for breakfast at area schools.
One of the schools with which Hansen has had an ongoing relationship over the past few years is East Ridge High School, where he provided 200 student-athletes with breakfast before the end of school. His staff then returned to the school to feed breakfast to 70 of its teachers.
Hansen said he feeds about 4,000 teachers a year at various local schools to show appreciation for the work they do, along with feeding about 1,000 students annually.
"A lot of schools know us because of that," he said of the food donations, though he also volunteers at the schools and brings along business colleagues to highlight the schools' needs.
This spring Hansen was recognized for his work with schools, which earned him a 2019 Outstanding Partner Award at Hamilton County Schools' Partners in Education Breakfast.
"Huddle House has had longstanding philanthropy and relationships with our schools and our neighbors in general," said Hansen, a franchise owner for the past 12 years. "We want to participate in the community we're based in."
Email Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com.