Nine years into its partnership with Community Servings, ScrubaDub Auto Wash Centers has crossed $330,000 in direct contributions and more than 60,000 medically tailored meals delivered to critically ill individuals and their families across Massachusetts and Rhode Island — milestones the Natick-based car wash chain is marking during Community Servings' 34th annual Pie in the Sky fundraiser, running through the end of November 2026.
How the Program Works
This year's campaign gives customers two paths to participate. A $5 in-person donation at any ScrubaDub tunnel location earns a complimentary Simoniz UltraShine wash upgrade and a co-branded, limited-edition apple pie scented air freshener, while supplies last. Separately, customers can purchase or donate a Thanksgiving pie through ScrubaDub's dedicated Pie in the Sky fundraising page; each transaction includes a free ScrubaDub Express Wash and an entry to win a year of unlimited car washes. Each pie purchase also funds a week of medically tailored meals for a Community Servings client.
Beyond the direct cash contributions, ScrubaDub has donated more than $520,000 in complimentary car wash services to customers participating in the cause over the life of the partnership — a figure that illustrates how retail and service businesses can structure cause-marketing programs with meaningful in-kind components alongside cash giving.
Food as Medicine, in Practice
Community Servings, founded in 1990 and accredited by the Food is Medicine Coalition, prepares more than 1.5 million scratch-made, medically tailored meals annually, home-delivered to more than 8,500 neighbors across Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The organization's model — where dietitian-designed meals are treated as a clinical intervention for chronically and critically ill patients — aligns with a growing emphasis in the broader foodservice and public health communities on nutrition as a component of medical care. For operators and food-industry professionals tracking food-as-medicine trends, Community Servings represents one of the most established scaled examples of that model in the Northeast.
"As we celebrate 60 years of serving New England, giving back to the communities that have supported our family business for generations is especially meaningful," said Mathew Paisner, Partner at ScrubaDub. "We wanted to add a sweet new twist to this year's campaign with our limited-edition apple pie scented air fresheners, while continuing to give our customers an easy way to make a meaningful difference for our neighbors."
David B. Waters, CEO of Community Servings, credited the Paisner family's consistency: "ScrubaDub's 60-year commitment to serving New England communities is reflected in its continued generosity and support of our mission."
For hospitality and foodservice professionals, the ScrubaDub–Community Servings model offers a replicable template: pairing a tangible customer incentive — a free service upgrade, a branded giveaway — with a community-impact narrative that deepens loyalty. As operators look for ways to engage guests around purpose-driven programs, campaigns that connect seasonal food traditions like Thanksgiving pies with direct community benefit are increasingly common across restaurant and hospitality cause-marketing efforts. Donations and pie purchases can be made online through the end of November.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
