The group was scheduled to return Friday, but they were stranded in Haiti because of the quake, said the report. Arnold [image-nocss] is a member of the church and volunteered to help bring the group home, Sherri Bankord told the newspaper. The church group was doing mission work about 150 miles from where the earthquake hit, she said.
Arnold's actions are just part of the petroleum/convenience store industry's reaction to the disaster. Large and medium-sized c-store and oil companies, as well as small companies and single stations have announced relief campaigns. Some of the many include:
Couche-Tard, Circle K & Mac's: Laval, Quebec-based Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. and Circle K are partnering with the Quebec division of the Canadian Red Cross. From January 15-24, each time customers add a donation of $1 or more to their purchase at any of the 625 outlets in Quebec and Atlantic Canada, Couche-Tard/Circle K will match the donation, with all proceeds going to the Red Cross. And from January 16-24 Mac's Convenience Stores Inc. will match each $1 donated in-store for up to $250,000. Every dollar raised in Ontario will be matched by the company for up to $250,000 from central and western divisions.
GetGo: Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle's GetGo c-stores and WetGo car washes are accepting $1 and $5 donations at checkout from January 16-30. GetGo will match uo to $50,000, it said on its Twitter page.
High's Dairy Stores: High's Dairy Stores, Frederick, Md., has announced a Haiti Earthquake Relief Campaign. Customers can donate any amount in $1 increments at any High's location; 100% of donations will be passed on to the American Red Cross. It raised $1,740 in the first day of the campaign, the company said on its Facebook page.
Irving Oil: Irving Oil, Portsmouth, N.H., said it will partner with the Red Cross to provide aid to the Haitian relief effort. The company will donate $50,000 and has committed to match all donations collected by Irving Oil employees until the end of January. Irving Oil employees have already begun their fundraising efforts by organizing 50/50 draws, donation boxes and casual days, among other activities. Haitian disaster relief donation boxes have been stationed at Irving Oil offices throughout New England. The company will match dollar for dollar each donation contributed by its employees until the end of January.
Road Ranger: In addition to Arnold's flight to Haiti, Road Ranger stores have teamed up with the Salvation Army. The organization's collection stands, usually out during the holidays, will be in almost all of Road Ranger's 85 stores, reported WREX.
Shell & Motiva: Houston-based Shell Oil Co. and Motiva Enterprises LLC are donating $100,000 to the American Red Cross to aid in relief and recovery efforts in Haiti.
Wawa: On Friday, CSP Daily News reported that Wawa launched a chain-wide, in-store campaign designed to send aid to Haiti, in partnership with the American Red Cross. It allows customers to help contribute to the relief effort through scannable UPC coupons allowing customers to add $1 to their Wawa purchase at checkout.
And other industry companies are contributing to the relief effort. Among the many that have launched and continue to launch relief efforts are:
Coca-Cola: Coca-Cola Co.'s charitable arm has donated $1 million to American Red Cross efforts in Haiti, and it is donating bottled water and other drinks through its bottler in the Dominican Republic.
Coinstar: Coinstar Inc. has announced that more than 15,000 Coinstar Centers have been enabled across the country to support the relief effort. Coinstar is requesting help to raise funds for UNICEF's relief efforts through the donation of spare change and has agreed to absorb the costs associated with processing the first $500,000 donated through Coinstar Centers.
Diageo: Diageo delivered more than 45,000 pounds of food, including beans, rice, cooking oil and Ensure, and emergency supplies, including new World Health Organization (WHO) sanctioned emergency health kits to the earthquake victims on Friday in a specially commissioned 727. The mission is part of the company's Spirit of the Americas Humanitarian Aid program, an ongoing effort to deliver critical assistance to disaster zones and communities where Diageo's employees and their families work and live. The Washington Redskins football will join with Diageo to deliver a second round of aid workers and of emergency supplies to Haiti
General Mills: The General Mills Foundation, Minneapolis, announced a commitment of $250,000 to support disaster relief. The $250,000 commitment includes a $100,000 donation to the American Red Cross International Response Fund and a $150,000 donation to CARE International for long-term rebuilding efforts.
Kellogg: Kellogg Co. announced a $250,000 donation to the American Red Cross to assist with earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. The contribution is being made by Kellogg's Corporate Citizenship Fund, the charitable arm of Kellogg Co. In addition, Kellogg will encourage employees and retirees to support relief efforts by providing a dollar-for-dollar match to the American Red Cross.
Kraft: The Kraft Foods Foundation said that it has partnered with the American Red Cross to donate $25,000 to help provide relief to victims of the earthquake in Haiti.
Nestle Waters: Nestle Waters North America has pledged to donate $1 million in bottled water products to support disaster relief efforts and communities. The company has identified, accessed and arranged shipment of bottled water resources from nearby locations in the Caribbean islands, with more to follow from Nestle Waters plants in the United States.
PepsiCo: The PepsiCo Foundation donated $1 million to the earthquake victims and is provideing Quaker products as well as bottled water and Gatorade through its bottlers in Florida and the Dominican Republic. Of the $1 million, the foundation has committed $500,000 for humanitarian relief to be allocated to three of its strategic partners, including the American Red Cross (to be earmarked for Red Cross partners operating in Haiti), Save the Children and Friends of the World Food Program. The remaining $500,000 of the pledge will be used to support longer-term rebuilding efforts designed to strengthen Haiti's infrastructure and limit significant damage from future disasters.
Reynolds America: The Reynolds American Foundation has approved a donation of $100,000 to the American Red Cross. In addition, the foundation plans to match, dollar for dollar, earthquake-relief contributions from employees of Reynolds American and its operating companies.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) has posted a list compiled by CNN of reputable relief organizations.Click here to view the list.
And President Barack Obama has asked President George W. Bush and President Bill Clinton to lead a major fundraising effort for relief, the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.
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