Community Service Roundup February 2019: Initiatives by 10 Retailers
By Kristina Hurtig on Feb. 04, 2019CHICAGO -- This community-service roundup features the charitable efforts of 10 convenience-store retailers.
Many chains announced the results of 2018 holiday campaigns, and others donated to schools, federal employees affected by the shutdown and more.
Click through to read about these initiatives ...
Aloha Petroleum
Aloha Petroleum recently donated $6,499.60 to AccesSurf, a nonprofit organization that creates community-based programs to allow anyone with a disability to enjoy the water.
The Honolulu-based retailer also donated $7,375.76 to Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaii, a nonprofit that provides children with one-on-one professionally supported mentorships.
The funds raised for both AccesSurf and Big Brother Big Sisters were raised through Aloha Petroleum’s ongoing canister collection program at statewide participating Aloha Island Mart stores.
Casey’s General Stores
During its seventh annual dog tag campaign, Ankeny, Iowa-based Casey’s General Stores raised more than $845,000 for Hope for the Warriors, a national nonprofit dedicated to restoring a sense of self, family and hope for veterans, service members and military families. The check presentation took place at the Casey’s store in Siloam Springs, Ark., which collected the most donations.
In November 2018, Casey’s customers purchased $1 dog tags that were displayed throughout the store. More than 2,000 stores participated, including sites in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
CEFCO
Temple, Texas-based CEFCO Convenience Stores donated $10,110 to Habitat for Humanity as part of its 12 Days of Coupons and 12 Days of Giving Campaign, an annual promotion in which CEFCO offers 1-cent mobile coupons to customers for 12 days in December. CEFCO matches 25 cents for every coupon redeemed during this time period.
The promotion is in its fourth year, but it was the first time CEFCO has partnered with Habitat for Humanity.
Circle K
Circle K, the global convenience brand of Laval, Quebec-based Alimentation Couche-Tard, is partnering with Huddle to provide select high schools in the Columbia, S.C., area with free event admission tickets, known as Huddle Tickets. As part of this program, 33 high schools will receive 760,000 Huddle Tickets to be distributed at the schools’ ticketed events, saving schools an estimated $26,400 in ticket procurement expenses and allowing them to redirect those funds to other important resources for the classroom.
Circle K special discount offers will be printed on the back of each ticket.
Huddle is based in Alpharetta, Ga.
High’s/Carroll Motor Fuels
Baltimore-based Carroll Motor Fuels and High’s, its c-store chain of 48 stores, donated more than $3,500 in gas and grocery gift cards, as well as items collected in a food drive, to help federal employees who were without pay during the recent government shutdown.
- Click here to read about how c-store retailers helped during the shutdown.
Carroll Motor Fuels and High’s also hosted an annual food drive last year to benefit the Maryland Food Bank during the holiday season. High’s collected almost 4,000 pounds of food to donate to the food bank—more than double the amount from the previous year.
Pilot Flying J
Knoxville, Tenn.-based Pilot Flying J hopes to raise $1 million in February to support the American Heart Association (AHA) in honor of American Heart Month. Pilot Flying J’s fundraising initiatives for the Life Is Why We Give campaign include:
- Paper heart icons: $1, $3 and $5 red hearts will be available at all locations for purchase. The full amount purchased will be donated directly to the AHA.
- Purchase round-up: Customers can round up their purchase to the nearest whole dollar. Pilot Flying J will donate the full amount of each round-up to the AHA.
- Donate online: Customers can visit this website in February to donate.
Last year, Pilot Flying J raised $981,000 in support of AHA’s mission.
QuickChek
Thirty volunteers from QuickChek’s stores and its headquarters in Whitehouse Station, N.J., sorted and packed donated food Dec. 13, 2018, at the Community Food Bank of New Jersey in Hillside. The event wrapped up QuickChek’s season of giving, in which it gives back to the communities it serves.
Sheetz
Sheetz for the Kidz, a Sheetz employee-driven charity, announced that it raised more than $700,821 during its annual December campaign through customer donations. It was a record for Sheetz, exceeding last year’s fundraising total by more than $82,000. Each year, 100% of customer donations are used to directly support Sheetz for the Kidz programs.
Throughout the 2018 holiday season, Sheetz for the Kidz supported about 9,500 children, or about 16 children from each of Sheetz’s 585 stores. Sheetz is based in Altoona, Pa.
VERC Enterprises
Through its ExxonMobil Educational Alliance Program, VERC Enterprises recently gave $500 grants to Hedge Elementary School in Plymouth, Mass., and R.J. Grey Junior High School in Acton, Mass. The ExxonMobil Educational Alliance program is funded by ExxonMobil Corp.; it is designed to provide local retailers an opportunity to invest in the future of their communities through educational grants to neighborhood schools.
Duxbury, Mass.-based VERC is a convenience store and Mobil/Gulf gasoline operator with locations in eastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Wawa
The Wawa Foundation, the nonprofit corporation founded by Wawa, Pa.-based Wawa Inc., recently announced the winners of its Virginia Hero Awards, which recognize the important role nonprofits and citizens have in improving and building the communities that Wawa serves.
The Hero Award winners received $20,000 each; they are The Boys and Girls Club of the Virginia Peninsula, Henrico Police Athletic League and Stafford County Volunteer Firefighter’s Association.
Runner-up award winners received $5,000 each; they are Communities in Schools of Hampton Roads; Hero Kids Foundation; Real People Educating Others; Virginia Association Volunteer Rescue Squads; The Greater Richmond ARC; Miracles in Motion; Variety the Children’s Charity of the National Capital Region; Hope for the Warriors; and Hire Our Heroes.
Have a community-service announcement of your own to share? Send related news to Kristina Peters at kpeters@winsightmedia.com.