Monday is World Peace Day, established by the United Nations in 1981, and two big-name fast-food chains are leading efforts to raise awareness for global unity.
To honor the day, McDonald’s, Burger King, and other leading corporations partnered with the U.N.’s World Food Programme to raise money for the millions of migrants seeking asylum in Europe.
“Today is the International Day of Peace, yet war wages around the world, resulting in more refugees than any time since World War II,” said actor Liam Neeson in a video spot. “More than half of them are children—they are innocent, and they are hungry.”
It’s a détente that follows four weeks of acrimony between two of the country’s leading fast-food chains. Last month, Burger King invited McDonald’s to combine their iconic hamburgers into one Peace Day burger for the holiday. In response, McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook posted a rejection letter to Burger King on Facebook, saying, “We love the intention but think our two brands could do something bigger to make a difference.”
That something has taken the form of a 30-second public service announcement, narrated by Neeson, to raise awareness of the food program and call for support from individuals. All donations made will go toward providing food for displaced refugees. Aside from McDonald’s and Burger King, other organizations contributing support to the program are DreamWorks Animation, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Cargill, McCain Foods, MasterCard, and United Airlines.
Burger King and four other fast-food chains are also following through with their Peace Day burger partnership and will be serving the creation at an Atlanta pop-up shop. The culinary mash-up will feature key ingredients from Denny’s Bacon Slamburger, Wayback’s Wayback Classic, Krystal’s Cheese Krystal, Giraffa’s Brutus, and the iconic Whopper, according to Advertising Age. No word yet on the burger’s calorie count, but the creation does include ham, bacon, a fried egg, and two patties in addition to other classic ingredients.
The pop-up restaurant will serve 1,500 free burgers from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 1122 Northside Drive in Atlanta. The five brands will make a donation to Peace One Day, a nonprofit that seeks to raise awareness for the International Day of Peace.
