Mr. Peanut donating Super Bowl budget to reward acts of kindness nationwide

Planters' Mr. Peanut is allocating its multi-million Super Bowl commercial budget to instead reward acts of kindness across the country.

The company, owned by Kraft Heinz, has joined a growing list of Super Bowl regulars, including Budweiser and Coca-Cola, that are forging their spot this year in order to donate the money toward initiatives working to help the world recover from the tumultuous year.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

Last year, Heinz drummed up a campaign in which it killed off its famed mascot and then resurrected him during a game-day commercial.

This year, "Mr. Peanut will use all $5 million of the Big Game budget, not on advertising, but to recognize and reward little acts of extraordinary substance across the country," the company said Monday.

BUDWEISER WON'T AIR SUPER BOWL ADS, WILL USE FUNDS FOR COVID VACCINE SUPPORT INSTEAD

As part of its "#ANutAbove" campaign, the old-fashioned gentleman clad in a top hat and monocle will "diligently" search out people who are "making someone’s day brighter and the world a little better" through everyday actions "even when no one is looking.”

The Chicago couple who donated their canceled wedding’s catering to help feed those in need on Thanksgiving and the Florida man who paid his neighbors’ past-due utility bills are a few examples of what it means to go "a nut above," according to the company.

Their first donation, about $130,000, will go toward the owners of Hook Hall in Washington, D.C. The owners gave free meals and supplies to hospitality workers over the pandemic "despite their own struggles to stay afloat," Heinz said.

The funds will help keep the bar open so it can keep "supporting out of work food and bar industry workers," the company said.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE 

Additionally, Heinz is also pledging to away an additional $1 million to local bars nationwide that are "going above and beyond for their neighbors" so they can "remain fixtures of their own communities."

Mr. Peanut's announcement comes after Budweiser revealed that it would forgo airing its iconic commercials during the Super Bowl and instead donate the money to the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative Vaccine Education Initiative, which is a public health communication campaign and additional efforts to support vaccine adoption efforts.

Likewise, the Coca-Cola Company is also sitting out in an effort to invest "in the right resources during these unprecedented times," according to a statement shared with FOX Business.