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McDonald’s giving free breakfast ‘Thank You Meals’ to teachers, school staff

The fast-food chain McDonald’s will thank educators for their work both inside and outside of the classroom with free breakfast “Thank You Meals” beginning Monday.

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During breakfast hours from Monday through Friday, teachers, administrators and school staff members will be able to claim a free breakfast from participating McDonald’s locations.

“This is an important time to say thank you to some of our everyday heroes,” Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s USA, said Friday in a news release. “With educators going above and beyond, we’re excited to recognize them in a way only McDonald’s can.”

Educators will have to show a valid work ID to get the meals, which will include a breakfast sandwich and hash browns packaged in a Happy Meal box, along with a beverage. In lieu of a toy, the boxes will include a thank-you note, USA Today reported.

McDonald’s is also inviting people to honor educators online using #ThankYouMeal on Twitter, TikTok or Instagram through Oct. 15. The company will highlight “the most heartfelt thank-yous” on its social media channels, while local McDonald’s owners and operators will surprise some teachers with breakfast deliveries to their schools.

Last year, McDonald’s gave away 12 million free “Thank You Meals” to first responders and health care workers during a two-week period at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We wanted to build on that idea and thank our educators in our communities for all that they’ve been doing and what they do really every day,” McDonald’s vice president of marketing, brand content and engagement, Jennifer “JJ” Healan, told USA Today.