Community Service Spotlight
NATIONAL REPORT -- Giving back through community service efforts and charity donations is a positive force that keeps many retailers and suppliers of this industry moving ahead. On a regular basis, Convenience Store News highlights these philanthropic efforts in this special section.
Here are the latest company spotlights:
Aloha Petroleum Ltd. recently donated $4,531 to the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii to support the organization’s efforts to prevent and treat kidney related diseases across the state. The funds were raised through canister collection donations at participating Aloha Island Mart and Shell locations.
According to the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii, there has been a dramatic increase in chronic kidney disease in the state, and rates are higher among native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Filipino and Japanese ethnic groups. Contributions are used to fund the Kidney Early Evaluating Program, General Kidney Screenings, classes to teach healthy cooking, mentoring programs for pre-dialysis and dialysis patients, family and caregiver support groups, and much more.
CITGO Petroleum Corp. entered into a new partnership with Huddle Inc., to launch the CITGO & Huddle Inc. High School Ticket Program. Running now through May 2014, this CITGO program will help 222 high schools in Tampa, Fla.; Mobile, Dothan and Montgomery, Ala.; and Greenville and New Bern, N.C., save more than $150,000 by offsetting the schools' ticket printing costs.
Through the CITGO & Huddle Inc. High School Ticket Program, CITGO can save its high school partners the cost of printing school event tickets by providing printed tickets to the schools at no cost. Each ticket also includes a CITGO coupon that is customized by market, ranging from CITGO discounts to giveaways at local CITGO stations.
Huddle Inc. is a hyper-local grassroots marketing firm that takes national marketing platforms into neighborhoods to meet specific affiliate needs.
Over the past few weeks, Corner Store raised $47,000 for communities impacted by the devastating floods in Colorado.
Contributions came from customers at 155 Colorado Corner Stores, Corner Store Team Members (employees) and a matching pledge from CST Brands Inc., Corner Store’s corporate parent company. All proceeds will benefit the American Red Cross Colorado Disaster Relief fund.
The flooding in Colorado resulted from torrential rainfall that began Sept. 9 and devastated homes, businesses and infrastructure in multiple counties. The overall financial impact has yet to be calculated. As of Oct. 9, the Governor of Colorado declared 24 counties disaster areas.
Corner Store also stepped up to help during the recent wildfires, collecting $58,000 for people whose lives and homes were devastated by the most destructive wildfire in Colorado’s history.
The National Association of Shell Marketers
The National Association of Shell Marketers raised $1,010 for the Fisher House Foundation during its 2013 Conference and Retreat in Houston. The money was raised during a benefit Texas Hold’em Tournament that took place at the Opening Night's Dinner and Reception, sponsored by Federated Insurance.
The Fisher House program was established more than 20 years ago to provide "a home away from home," a warm and welcoming place, where military families can stay and support their loved ones at no cost while the patient receives specialized medical care at a military or Veterans Affairs medical center.
NOCO Eneregy Corp.
NOCO Energy Corp.'s NOCO Express Stores, its customers and employees donated $12,010 to the local Western & Central New York chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society during a recent in-store campaign. Throughout the month of September, customers could purchase a $1 paper balloon at any of the 35 NOCO Express locations to benefit the nonprofit organization.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Western & Central New York Chapter currently funds four blood cancer research projects in the region and serves more than 4,000 local patients who have been affected by the blood cancers leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Patients receive support through financial programs, support groups, peer counseling, educational programs and many other patient services.
TravelCenters of America LLC
TravelCenters of America LLC, operator of TA and Petro Stopping Centers truck stops, donated $286,877.99 to the St. Christopher Truckers Development and Relief Fund (SCF). This is the largest single donation amount the SCF has received to date, and takes the total donations that TravelCenters has helped to raise for the Fund to nearly $1.1 million.
The donation monies were collected from TA and Petro customers and employees during TravelCenters’ fourth annual Band Together for SCF campaign, as well as during recent professional driver events, including the TA Walcott Truckers Jamboree, the Great American Trucking Show and the OOIDA Heart of America Trucking Show.
SCF is a non-profit organization that benefits truck drivers suffering from financial hardship due to medical problems. The 2013 Band Together for SCF campaign ran from Aug. 22 through Oct. 6 at all TA and Petro locations. Drivers were asked to donate $1 to help their fellow drivers in need and in turn, received a commemorative wristband.