Eat wings, support Abercrombie
Hoover High School football fans have had Wednesday, Dec. 6, circled on their calendars since the beginning of the season. That’s when the Buccaneers will vie for the Class 7A state title at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.
Now, there is another reason to circle the date — even if you’re not a Hoover football diehard.
Wing Zone will be giving away five free boneless wings, no purchase necessary, on Wednesday to customers who walk through the doors at any of the chain’s 80 U.S. locations. That includes the storefronts in Hoover and Tuscaloosa, which are owned and operated by Marty Abercrombie.
Abercrombie’s son, Ben, played on Hoover’s 2016 state championship football team before signing with Harvard University. In September, the Crimson freshman suffered a paralyzing spinal cord injury during his team’s game against Rhode Island, and he is currently rehabbing at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta.
Wing Zone will donate $1 to the Ben Abercrombie Fund for each free wing order it fills. The fund has helped the Abercrombies offset various medical and travel expenses.
“It’s really about community,” Wing Zone co-founder and CEO Matt Friedman said. “It’s about being very thankful for a lot of what we have right now and also helping one of our best franchisees through a very challenging time.”
Friedman said he believes Wing Zone will raise $10,000 to $15,000 through the event, though the total amount raised will likely surpass that. He said each restaurant will have a donation bowl near the register, along with advertising material directing patrons to links through which they can donate online.
As of November, around $115,000 had been raised for the Abercrombies through the Ben Abercrombie Fund and the Benson M. Abercrombie '21 Fund, which was started by the Harvard Varsity Club.
Friedman, who helped found Wing Zone in the early 1990s, said he knows the Abercrombies personally, and he calls Ben one of the brightest, most talented young men he has ever met.
“We love Ben and the Abercrombies, and this is going to be an incredible day,” Friedman said.
Wing Zone also will be using the giveaway to promote its new Korean Q flavor, which combines sweet and spicy. However, Friedman said people can choose any wing flavor they desire for their free order.
The Hoover Wing Zone location is at 1694 Montgomery Highway in the Centre at Riverchase Shopping Center. It will be open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Wednesday. For Hoover fans traveling to Tuscaloosa, that location is at 1241 McFarland Blvd. E and will be open from 11 a.m. to midnight.