Washington D.C., Nov 19, 2019 / 11:30 am
The Salvation Army has denied accusations that it is an anti-LGBT organization in the wake of the Chick-Fil-A Foundation publicly severing ties with the group.
"We're saddened to learn that a corporate partner has felt it necessary to divert funding to other hunger, education and homelessness organizations - areas in which The Salvation Army, as the largest social services provider in the world, is already fully committed," they said in a statement on Tuesday.
The statement came in response to an announcement on Monday by the Chick-Fil-A Foundation that it would no longer donate to the Salvation Army or to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Instead, the foundation has pledged $9 million each to Junior Achievement, Covenant House International, and local food banks near new Chick-Fil-A locations.
Chick-Fil-A has faced controversy regarding its past charitable donations. In 2012, after the founder of Chick-Fil-A stated his opposition to same-sex marriage, there were calls for a nationwide boycott of the chain. This boycott largely failed, and Chick-Fil-A is now the third-largest restaurant chain in the country in terms of systemwide sales, trailing only McDonald's and Starbucks.