National Cheeseburger Day: Five Guys Helping Fight Hunger

Americans love cheeseburgers, evidenced by the number of burger joints  in communities big and small. Sept. 18 is National Cheeseburger Day and what better excuse to bite into a juicy burger topped with American, Swiss or maybe even blue cheese, and help out a great cause along the way.

Today Five Guys Burgers and Fries is teaming up with Foursquare and Kraft Foods to help raise money for Feeding America.

For every person that checks in via Foursquare at a Five Guys today, Kraft Foods will donate the equivalent of a meal at the restaurant (approx. $12.50).

To celebrate National Cheeseburger Day, here are five fun facts to bite into:

1. The largest cheeseburger ever made in the world weighed in at a whopping 777 pounds. Created June 2, 2011 at the Alameda County Fair in California by Juicy's, the giant burger also featured 50 pounds of cheese. The bun alone weighed in at 272 pounds. Fairgoers were able to purchase 99-cent portions of the estimated 1.375 million calorie burger to eat. Complete coverage of the event (including pictures) can be found here.

2. As we settle into fall weather, it's a great time to fire up the grill. Thirty new cheeseburger ideas like the "The Johnny Appleseed," which features aged Wisconsin cheddar, maple bacon, sauteed apples, whole grain mustard and red onions on sourdough, can be found here.

But you don't have to eat meat to celebrate National Cheeseburger Day. If you want to make your own patties, here is a "Best of Everything" veggie burger recipe.

3. The popular Jimmy Buffett song "Cheeseburger in Paradise" was inspired by a boat trip Buffett took. Hampered by bad weather and tired of the canned food and peanut butter stocked aboard, Buffett found himself continually craving a cheeseburger. When the boat finally docked on the island of Tortola, Buffett was able to order the cheeseburger he had been fantasizing about. Buffett fans who want a list of his top 10 places to get a cheeseburger should go here.

4. Anyone remember Mayor McCheese? The giant cartoon cheeseburger served as the bumbling mayor of McDonaldland from 1971-1985. A lawsuit against McDonalds over the character's resemblance to H.R. Pufnstuf was settled in 1977.

5. Hungry? We have some burgers right here in the Walpole area. Check out Five Guys at the Walpole Mall on Route 1 and at Patriot Place in Foxborough. You can also head to Red Robin at Patriot Place.