Kaila Methven, a lingerie designer who is also heiress to Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) fast-food chain, has launched a program to help employ LGBTQ people who have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic. This is while raising $1 million for LGBTQ charities and social organizations associated with the electronic dance music (EDM) community.

Methvens grandfather founded Rainbow Chicken Unlimited, the company that acquired KFC in the 1980’s. She wants to hire LGBTQ people, domestic violence survivors, and people in the sober community through a newly conceived Independent Contractor Program within her organization the Peace Love Unity Respect (PLUR) Association.

Compare this to the giving done by rival Chick-Fil-A shareholders.

The PLUR Association’s Independent Contractor Program would hire members of these communities to work flexibly, independently and remotely with her ‘œMadame Maven’ lingerie fashion brand, a brand that includes the ‘œSpecial K’ line of bright and sparkly undergarments inspired by EDM dance music festivals.

‘œGiving people opportunities to work for themselves in the fashion industry and learning the ‘˜ins and outs’ while they learn about clothing, lingerie, and art has developed and really improved every aspect of the PLUR Association,’ Methven told Star Observer. ‘œArt inspires me’¦ love inspires me’¦ so does sensuality and passion,’ she added.

In addition to helping employ those in financial need, the PLUR Association also hopes to raise $1 million for LGBTQ charities and social organizations like EDM Cares, a group of electronic dance music enthusiasts who also do charitable works like food/clothing/toiletry drives for homeless shelters and events for disabled military veterans.

‘œI want my contribution to the world to be the soldier spreading the message and true meaning of PLUR,’ Methven said. ‘œI aim to use my voice as a philanthropist, it’s my dream to make a difference in the world. This is the beginning of days, we all unite globally as human beings.’

The PLUR Association seeks to foster recognition of the need for respect, diversity, inclusion, and equality for people of all gender identities and sexualities in the workplace, according to Methven.

KFC franchisees have also been feeding frontline workers, families and children in need, and making sizeable donations to area food banks.

KFC Donates 1.2 Million Pounds of Food to Food Banks

Kentucky Fried Chicken announced it will donate 621,000 pounds of food to food banks across the country, enough food to provide more than 600,000 meals for people in need, through its Harvest program. Including this large, one-time donation, KFC will have provided 1.2 million pounds of food already this year to help combat the critical shortages at food banks across the country amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

KFC has been donating surplus food from its U.S. restaurants in partnership with Food Donation Connection for more than 20 years through the Harvest Program, KFC’s prepared food donation program. Through Harvest, participating KFC restaurants donate wholesome, unsold food to hunger relief agencies in communities across the U.S. So far in 2020 alone, KFC restaurants have donated 652,579 pounds of food to 757 local charities in 48 states through the Harvest program, and this critical work continues during this time of increased food insecurity.