Denny's Names Jayla Thornton Hungry for Education(TM) Scholarship Program's National Winner

SPARTANBURG, S.C., August 15, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Jayla Thornton, a junior, political science major at North Carolina A&T State University, has been selected as this year's national winner of Denny's Hungry for Education™ Scholarship.

Thornton, a resident of Fort Washington, MD, received the top award out of a field of 2,444 applications, along with a scholarship for $5,000. Denny's, a longtime supporter of education at Historically Black Colleges & Universities, partnered with the Tom Joyner Foundation for this year's award. 

"There were thousands of phenomenal submissions, but Jayla's essay truly rose to the top," said April Kelly Drummond, vice president, diversity, equity and inclusion. "Jayla's creativity, intelligence, and commitment to her community jumped off the page, and we're thrilled to provide her with this award."

Thornton's winning essay proposed a major initiative, which envisions Denny's working to combat "food deserts" in her community. A food desert is a geographic area where affordable, nutritious and fresh food is hard to obtain, particularly for those without access to an automobile. As Thornton points out, despite being the third-largest city within the state, Greensboro, NC, has 17 of the 24 food deserts in Guilford County. Thornton, who plans to attend law school, recommends Denny's host an event in a centrally located neighborhood in Greensboro where residents can access fresh food from a farmer's market, mental health counseling from local organizations and receive information from other local social services and social justice organizations.

"This award means so much to me because it feels like a wonderful validation of my passion and hard work," said Thornton. "Denny's has been such a powerful presence in my community and I am looking forward to working with them for many years to come.

Denny's Hungry for Education™ (HFE) is a scholarship program that recognizes and rewards students who show initiative and creativity in helping Denny's bring communities together. Partnering with 11 leading, nonprofit, minority advocacy organizations, Denny's awarded over $354,000 in scholarships this year to deserving elementary, high school, and college students. Since its launch in 2011, the brand has awarded more than $2 million in scholarships.

This year's scholarships open on Sept. 1 and students can apply by going to www.dennys.com/hfe.

About Denny's:

Denny's is one of the largest franchised full-service restaurant brands in the world, based on number of restaurants. As of March 29, 2023, Denny's had 1,594 franchised, licensed and company restaurants, which includes 161 restaurants in Canada, Costa Rica, Curacao, El Salvador, Guam, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.

To learn more about Denny's, please visit our brand website at www.dennys.com or the brand's social channels via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn or YouTube.

Source: Denny's Corporation