McDonald’s serves up more than golden fries and 98-cent hamburgers; the restaurant chain now is dishing out scholarships to deserving local McDonald’s employees as well.

The Savannah Area McDonald’s Operators’ Association has opened its scholarship program for applications, including three to be awarded here in Liberty County, said Anna Burns, account executive for McDonald’s.

"McDonald’s has an overall national program, but this is a local program," Burns said. "This is 48 stores that come together and are really able to help the employees and employee dependents."

The scholarships are available to McDonald’s employees and their dependents in the amount of $1,200 that can be applied toward tuition, room and board, books and more. Employees must be working a minimum of three months at the fast food restaurant and an average of 20 hours per week. Applicants also must have a minimum grade point average of 2.5 and plan to attend an accredited institution, according to the release.

"Not only does this program benefit current employees, but it offers additional incentives for prospective employees," Burns said in a news release. The scholarship deadline is March 31, 2011.

"We were thrilled to award 20 scholarships in 2010, the program’s inaugural year, and hope we can award all 48 available scholarships this year," McDonald’s Owner/Operator Nina Gompels stated in a news release. "As a McDonald’s owner/operator, I was overjoyed to award these scholarships our first year. Knowing we made a difference in the lives of our McDonald’s family members is a great feeling. We’re ready to do it again!"

McDonald’s restaurants participating in Georgia include Appling, Bacon, Bryan, Bulloch, Candler, Chatham, Effingham, Evans, Jeff Davis, Liberty, McIntosh, Screven, Tattnall, Toombs and Wayne counties.

"It is a great area. There are 48 possible scholarships — one per store," Burns said. "We really wanna help the community out."