Hot Stuff Foods has expanded in the foodservice industry over the past decade, but now it’s spreading into a new realm: charity.

It started in 1996, when Hot Stuff Foods (then Orion Food Systems), spearheaded a charity golf event featuring premier players from the PGA Champions Tour to raise money for Children’s Home Society (CHS); a non-profit organization that provides a home, school, and therapy for children with emotional or behavioral problems.Foster care and adoption services are provided for children who are unable to return to their birth families. The Hot Stuff Challenge “teed off” again and hit two milestones as the event set a new record net estimated at just over $350,000.This single event giving triggered another milestone toppling more than $2.0 million (estimated at over $2 … million) for Children’s Home Society since its inaugural debut.

The annual Hot Stuff Challenge is only a part of the plan. Two years ago Hot Stuff expanded its philanthropic efforts through a collaborative program with First Premier Bank in Sioux Falls for victims of the Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. Hot Stuff doubled employee contributions to the Red Cross. First Premier Bank then matched those funds resulting in a four-fold increase of the employees’ original donations. Hot Stuff Foods’ also started the Forest of Discovery Book Reader Program, which rewards students with free personal size pan pizzas and/or discounts on family size pizzas.

According to Roxanne Van Loon, Hot Stuff’s vice president of marketing, Hot Stuff Foods has created an umbrella model for its charitable initiatives called Hot Stuff Warm Hearts.

“With so many opportunities to give back and help those in need, we have established Warm Hearts as our primary charity,” said Van Loon. “With over $2 million raised and close to a million already projected in the next few years, there’s a steady beat of warm hearts both giving and receiving.”