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:
Chevron Corp.
Chevron has provided $10,000 to enhance science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs for THINK Together students in the Tustin and Orange (Calif.) unified school districts.
THINK Together provides academic support programs at nine schools in the Tustin Unified School District and to five schools in the Orange Unified School District.
THINK Together serves more than 100,000 students across 420 locations in 35 school districts and more than 30 cities across a five-county footprint of Southern California (Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego) plus greater Sacramento.
Circle K
In Guam, the fourth annual Paddles Against Cancer Benefit Race sponsored by 76/Circle K (under the local SPPC banner) will take place on March 17.
The event has residents and businesses teaming together to race outrigger canoes on the shores off Matapang Beach Park. Each team’s $600 donation will benefit the fight against cancer. Paddlers do not need any experience. Marianas Paddlesports Racing Association will be at the event to teach participants how to race.
According to statistics, over 300 people every year on Guam, a U.S. territory, are afflicted by some form of cancer. SPPC is a local company, operating 13 retail service stations under the licensed names 76 and Circle K. SPPC is rooted in the island with the majority of its board members residing on Guam and its growing commitment to spearhead community projects that make a difference, such as the "Clean Your Closet," "Drive for Charity Golf Tournament" and "Holiday Helping Hands."
SPPC also owns SPGas, the island's largest supplier of LP gas, and is the licensee of the 76 fuel and lube brands, owned by ConocoPhillips Corp. and Phillips 66. SPPC is also the franchisee of the Circle K brand, owned by Alimentation Couche-Tard.
The Pantry’s Kangaroo Express raised $129,389 in support of Junior Achievement, a non-profit organization that brings the real world to students through hands-on curriculum delivered by a trained classroom volunteer, through its “Kash for Kids” fundraising campaign last year.
From Nov. 9 through Dec. 31, more than 70 Kangaroo Express stores throughout the north Georgia; Chattanooga, Tenn.; and Cleveland, Tenn., areas asked store guests to make donations for the Kash for Kids fundraiser, encouraging the local community to help young people develop the competitive skills and confidence needed to succeed in the 21st-century global marketplace.
The $90,149 raised in Hamilton, Catoosa, Walker, Marion and Sequatchie counties will directly benefit the Junior Achievement of Chattanooga. The $39,240 raised in Bradley, McMinn, Meigs, Polk and Monroe counties will directly benefit the Junior Achievement of the Ocoee Region.
Mars Chocolate North America introduced M&M'S Brand's "M'Prove America," a new cause-related marketing partnership with Habitat For Humanity International designed to make “America Better With M” by funding home construction across the United States.
M&M'S Brand will donate $500,000 to Habitat for Humanity International to help fund the construction of homes through a series of programs in 2013, including a unique volunteer initiative that will encourage fans of the brand to donate 1.5 million minutes (25,000 hours) of their time and talents at Habitat for Humanity's home construction sites in the United States. Fans can pledge to help M'Prove America at www.facebook.com/mms.
In addition, specially-marked packages of red, white and blue M&M'S Brand Candies promoting M'Prove America will be sold during Summer 2013.
To kick-off the M'Prove America campaign, the M&M'S Brand reunited former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs with Super Bowl-winning quarterback Doug Williams on the 25th anniversary of their historic victory. Both will lead a group of volunteers to begin construction of the future home of Gloria Smith in New Orleans. M&M'S Brand also plans to coordinate a series of volunteer efforts across the nation throughout the year.
S&S Food Stores, a chain of more than 50 stores in north central Florida, recently presented a check for $1,028,164.97 to the Children's Miracle Network and Shands (hospital) at the University of Florida.
Donations came from customers, whereby the stores post their names and donation amounts on pieces of paper around the store.
Seibert’s Family of Companies
Seibert's Family of Companies successfully applied to the BP Fueling Communities program and received a $6,500 grant on behalf of "First Things First of Greater Richmond," a not-for-profit organization dedicated to strengthening families through education, collaboration and mobilization. Its primary focuses are encouraging healthy marriages; connecting fathers with their children; and teaching youth relationship skills.
Seibert's Family of Companies – which includes Seibert's Towing, Seibert's Wholesale Fuels, Seibert's Body Shop, Seibert's Auto Auction and 'Berts Buck Stop –recently launched the Toast'd Tow program: a service from Seibert's Towing, designed to get holiday revelers home safely. Previously, the company contributed to a wide variety of community based programs such as The Mayor's Youth Academy, Toys for Tots and Food Bank collections.
Speedway LLC
Speedway LLC contributed $6.4 million to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in 2012, propelling the company's total fundraising to more than $53 million since 1991. Donations in 2012 were up 5 percent over the previous year and benefitted 17 member children’s hospitals.
A corporate partner of Children's Miracle Network Hospitals since 1991, Speedway has raised more than $53 million for the charity through a variety of initiatives. Turnkey programs including canister campaigns, grassroots fundraising activities, employee payroll deduction programs and an annual corporate golf tournament have all contributed to Speedway’s ability to support the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in their communities.
VPS Convenience Store Group
VPS Convenience Store Group and the ExxonMobil Educational Alliance program partnered together to award $30,500 in grant funding to 61 schools throughout the southeast service area to support math and science education. This year's grant total ranks VPS as the 13th largest grantor of these educational funds in the nation for 2012-2013.
These grants are designed to help schools purchase supplemental learning tools such as science lab supplies, Apple iPads, graphing calculators or to fund math and science related field trips. The $500 grant for each chosen school is funded by ExxonMobil Corp.