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 will highlight these philanthropic efforts in this special section. Here are the latest company spotlights:
Stewart's Shops
The Philly and Charlie Dake Foundation of Stewart's Shops gifted $5,000 to the Saratoga Shakespeare Company to support its 2012 twelfth anniversary production, "Twelfth Night," which ran free of charge for various performances in July in Saratoga Springs' (N.Y.) Congress Park.
ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil volunteers teamed up with United Way of Hunterdon County, N.J., to take part in United Way's global Day of Action. Volunteers prepared and delivered lunches for Meals on Wheels, played an intense game of "swat ball" with seniors and tie-dyed T-shirts with Arc of Hunterdon clients.
ExxonMobil is the 2011 recipient of United Way of Hunterdon County's Spirit of Caring Award for the more than 1,200 hours put in by more than 200 volunteers.
Irving Oil
Three Irving gas stations across Rhode Island helped raise money one Saturday last month for the Fueling Dreams to benefit Special Olympics Rhode Island. Police officers, firefighters and local Special Olympics athletes pumped gas and washed windshields for tips.
All money collected at the events went to support Special Olympics Rhode Island's year-round programs.
Condon Oil and CITGO
In June, Condon Oil teamed up with CITGO Petroleum Corporation and members of the Ripon (Wis.) community to raise $33,000 for muscular dystrophy research and support at the 13th Bi-Annual Condon Charity Golf and Fishing Event. The total funds raised for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) in 2012 currently exceed Condon Oil's 2010 total by close to $12,000.
This year's golf and fishing outing also raised $10,000 for the UW Madison Cancer Research Center and select locally based charities. These gifts were donated in honor of Condon Oil's late co-founders, Eileen and Kent Bauman, both of whom lost their respective battles with cancer.
In conjunction with the golf tournament, Condon Oil participated in the sale of paper MDA Shamrocks at all 33 of its retail locations. This locally focused fundraising effort produced a grand total of $7,286, which, when combined with the $33,000 raised during the Condon Charity Golf and Fishing Event, leads to a grand total of $40,286 raised for MDA in 2012.
Hunt Brothers Pizza
With summer road trips in mind, Hunt Brothers Pizza is asking consumers as they travel across the country to donate $1 to Support U.S. Armed Forces. Now through August 16, participating Hunt Brothers Pizza locations are offering ribbons for $1 each. All of the proceeds benefit the Support U.S. Armed Forces military charity, which provides welcome home packages, deployed family assistance packages, veterans programs and military appreciation events for the troops and their families.
As a bonus, consumers who donate to Support U.S. Armed Forces and purchase a Hunt Brothers Pizza Hunk-A-Pizza or large pizza will receive a coupon for $0.55 off any Moon Pie product.
PDQ Manufacturing, Inc.
PDQ Manufacturing, Inc., a leader in vehicle wash systems, created a new charitable donations policy for its employees. This policy allocates money to each employee with those funds able to be donated to charities on their behalf. As part of the policy, PDQ makes periodic donations to local charitable organizations.
In June, PDQ made a donation to the Brown County (Wis.) Sheriff's Benevolent Association.
Also in June, PDQ made a $5,000 donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin. That amount was matched by the Dover Foundation. The combined $10,000 donated by PDQ and the Dover Foundation helped make the wishes of two ill Wisconsin teenagers come true.