Delaware North raises over $19K for pollinator education campaign

By AI, Created 3:45 PM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – Delaware North’s third annual Bee the Difference campaign raised more than $19,000 for The Bee Cause Project after a monthlong Earth Month promotion across 61 locations. The money will fund pollinator education, educator training and habitat support while pushing the campaign’s lifetime total past $85,000.

Why it matters: - Delaware North is funneling guest spending into pollinator education and habitat support. - The latest campaign adds to a growing pot of funding for classroom resources, school grants and stewardship programs tied to bees and other pollinators. - The initiative also connects a food-and-beverage promotion to sustainability messaging in a way that can be repeated across venues.

What happened: - Delaware North’s third annual “Bee the Difference” campaign ran from April 1 to May 5. - The campaign raised more than $19,000 for The Bee Cause Project. - The promotion marked Earth Month and featured the Bee’s Harvest Margarita, a limited-time cocktail made with PATRÓN tequila. - Guests bought 23,100 margaritas across 61 Delaware North locations.

The details: - The Bee Cause Project plans to use the donation to expand hands-on environmental education for more than 5,000 students and educators across the U.S. - The donation will help train and support 20 educators with resources focused on environmental literacy, conservation and sustainability. - The funding will provide 10 schools or nonprofit organizations with Educational Pollinator Grants for pollinator-friendly habitats and youth education. - The campaign support will help introduce or sustain more than 200,000 pollinators through new habitats and ongoing stewardship led by students and educators. - Delaware North also added an augmented reality experience that showed how agave plants are pollinated before becoming tequila. - Top-performing locations included UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y., Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack in Wheeling, W.Va., Paseo, Céntrico & Tiendita at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, Calif., and Tenaya at Yosemite in Fish Camp, Calif. - Since the campaign began, Bee the Difference has raised more than $85,000 for pollinator protection and education.

Between the lines: - The campaign shows how Delaware North is tying customer-facing promotions to environmental education in a measurable way. - The sales total suggests the cocktail-and-cause format is helping drive both engagement and donations. - The augmented reality element adds an educational layer that may make the sustainability message more visible to guests.

What’s next: - The Bee Cause Project will distribute the new funding through education programs, educator support and grantmaking. - Delaware North could continue using the campaign model in future Earth Month efforts if engagement stays strong. - The company’s cumulative fundraising total gives the campaign a track record it can build on next year.