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:
Ambest Inc.
AMBEST, the member-owned, nationwide network of more than 200 individually owned and operated truck stops and service centers, raised $30,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project. The organization used its annual meeting as a means of raising the funds through sponsorships and a silent auction with participating benefactors such as Bridgestone, Lucas Oil, Michelin, DAS and Valvoline.
Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes Inc.
Ten Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes throughout central New York are partnering with the Salvation Army to host red kettles in the stores. The Salvation Army’s red kettles are the most visible of its fundraisers, with monies raised supporting social service programs year-round. Between 40 percent and 50 percent of all public support for The Salvation Army comes during the holiday season.
NOCO Inc.
NOCO joined forces with The Buffalo City Mission in New York State to help serve more than 250 traditional turkey dinners at the Mission’s annual Thanksgiving Community Meal. Volunteers and staff of the Mission dished out a traditional holiday feast, including turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pie, to hundreds of poor and homeless Western New Yorkers.
In other NOCO news, the company helped Buffalo Prep secure a $1,500 grant from the ExxonMobil Educational Alliance program to support math and science education initiatives. NOCO Executive Vice President Michael F. Newman and ExxonMobil Territory Manager Charles Freiden worked with officials to secure the grant, which was funded through ExxonMobil Corp.
The ExxonMobil Educational Alliance program is designed to provide Exxon and Mobil retailers and distributors, like NOCO, with an opportunity to invest in the future of their communities through educational grants to neighborhood schools and academic programs.
Rutter’s Farm Stores
Rutter’s donated $5,000 to the York Symphony Orchestra so that local elementary school students could attend Mozart’s Magnificent Voyage at the Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center in York, Pa.
In other company news, Rutter’s and Dr. Pepper awarded a $500 scholarship to a loyal Rutter’s customer as part of Dr Pepper’s 2013 Tuition Giveaway. The recipient, Melissa Mazzur of Dallastown, Pa., will use the scholarship money for her daughter who plans to attend Saint Francis University next fall.
Thorntons Inc.
More than 500 Thorntons team members completed a major renovation in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., as part of the chain’s 2013 Humanitarian Day. The transformation of the Ann Storck Center included building a new fence, painting a mural on the playground, painting interior and exterior rooms, re-striping the parking lot, cleaning vans and playground equipment, and re-building storage spaces.