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.
Aloha Petroleum donated $4,531 to the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii to support its 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, with higher rates among Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Filipino and Japanese ethnic groups.
The donation will be used to fund the Kidney Early Evaluating Program, General Kidney Screenings, classes to teach healthy cooking and backing techniques, mentoring programs for pre-dialysis and dialysis patients, family and caregiver support groups, and much more.
CITGO Petroleum Corp.
CITGO and its marketer Flash Market joined forces to raise more than $28,000 to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). On Sept. 9, 130-plus people gathered at the Tunica National Golf Course in Arkansas for the 15th annual Flash Market CITGO Golf Classic.
Every year, the Golf Classic benefits the Mid-South MDA, located in West Memphis, Ark., the hometown of Flash Market. The Mid-South MDA branch provides support for local clinics where MDA families can receive the highest quality medical treatment. The money raised at the tournament funds medical equipment for local clinics, keeps support groups up and running, and helps send young children to an annual summer camp.
In related company news, six other CITGO marketers — Sat Raj Inc., MSS Enterprises LLC, Multani Enterprises Inc., ARFA Enterprises Inc., PennJ Petroleum and Margas Inc. — are raising money for the Greater Philadelphia Muscular Dystrophy Association's "Make a Muscle, Make a Difference" campaign.
More than 50 participating CITGO locations across Pennsylvania and New Jersey sold $1 and $5 football-shaped paper mobiles through October, with all proceeds to benefit MDA programs from Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey to New Castle, Del., helping 2,500 local families. The six companies will also launch a holiday stocking mobile program in December to raise even more money.
CITGO is the largest corporate sponsor for MDA, raising more than $160 million over the last 27 years.
Gilbarco Veeder-Root
For the sixth consecutive year, Gilbarco Veeder-Root is partnering with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Greensboro in North Carolina to build a new home for a local family in need. The goal of this year's project is to build a two-story home for a local family and their six children, ranging in age from six to 16.
This year marks Gilbarco’s largest community involvement, with more than 100 employees volunteering.
Parker’s Convenience Stores
Parker’s presented a $3,000 Fueling the Community check to Effingham County Schools in Georgia. This donation is part of a larger, unrestricted charitable contribution to area schools in Georgia and South Carolina. Parker’s donates 1 cent of every gallon of gas purchased at all of its convenience stores on the first Wednesday of the month to area schools through its Fueling the Community program.
In other company news, the inaugural Parker’s Fueling the Community Charity Golf Tournament was held Oct. 29 at The Club at Savannah Harbor in Savannah, Ga., and raised more than $55,000 to benefit area schools. The tournament attracted 128 players from across the region, including Parker’s vendors, suppliers and supporters. Proceeds will benefit Georgia and South Carolina schools in areas where Parker’s operates convenience stores.
Parker’s customers can sign up for a PumpPal card online at www.PumpPalClub.com to select a school of their choice for their 1-cent-per-gallon donation. Existing PumpPal members can access their account online and select a specific school to receive donations.
Wawa Inc.
Wawa recently kicked off its annual coat drive for Operation Warm, a nonprofit that has been collecting funds to distribute new coats to children since 1998. In nine years, more than 40,000 coats have been handed out to children in Delaware County, Pa., thanks to the collection of $332,775.
Wawa, Riddle Hospital and the Glen Riddle Rotary Club spearhead the effort, which includes many facets of the community -- from donation containers at the Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union branches, to funds collected through the Delaware County Court Administrator’s voluntary jury donation program, to the Tri-State Harley Owners Group Club’s annual ride down Route 1. The effort will culminate in a celebration at Riddle Hospital, scheduled for Dec. 4.