Community Service Roundup, August 2019

CHICAGO — This community-service roundup features the charitable efforts of seven convenience-store retailers, NACS and several industry suppliers.

Click through to read about these initiatives ...

Cumberland Farms began its eighth annual Cups for Kids campaign in August. Throughout the month, the Framingham, Mass.-based chain donated 5 cents from ice coffee or Chill Zone beverages purchased across the Northeast to pediatric care programs at partnering children’s hospitals.

Since the beginning of the Cups for Kids program, Cumberland Farms has donated $800,000 to hospital partners, said Gwen Forman, senior vice president of marketing.

Participating hospitals and the products that benefit them include Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center (iced coffee), Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (iced coffee), Bernard & Millie Duker Children’s Hospital at Albany Med (Chill Zone beverages), Connecticut Children’s (Chill Zone beverages) and The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center (Chill Zone beverages).

Richmond, Va.-based GPM Investments LLC, through two of its convenience-store brands, raised $45,255.55 during the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital “Give thanks. Give hope.” campaign.

Roadrunner Markets and Crenco stores joined more than 100 participating retailers nationwide by asking customers to purchase a spring-themed $1 paper pinup in support of St. Jude for the month of June. Roadrunner and Crenco stores have raised more than $875,000 for St. Jude over the past several years.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is a leader in treating childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

Rutter’s partnered with the Central Penn Food Bank to donate more than $150,000 in food and beverages during the first half of 2019.

The York, Pa.-based c-store chain provided sandwiches, milk, drinks and more to benefit more than 1,500 families in need. One Rutter’s store in York has provided more than 200 meals per week to local children.

BP America and the American Heart Association (AHA) have teamed up to promote health and wellness in the greater Houston area.

The organizations will create an awareness and education strategy for the region with a broad marketing campaign. The agreement is part of AHA’s Life Is Why campaign, which funds research and education to support healthy communities.

La Palma, Calif.-based BP will also become a title sponsor of major local AHA initiatives, including the Houston Heart Walk on Nov. 9 at the University of Houston.

The 28th annual Speedway Miracle Tournament raised more than $2.8 million for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The event was held in June at the NCR Country Club in Kettering, Ohio.

Enon, Ohio-based Speedway has raised more than $109 million for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals since 1991.

Savannah, Ga.-based Enmarket and Healthy Savannah presented $1,000 to the West Broad Street YMCA as part of the Enmarket Encourage Health Education Series. Representatives from Enmarket and Healthy Savannah also volunteered in the YMCA’s community garden.

Stripes has started its fifth annual Stripes Stores Celebrates Tomorrows campaign in more than 500 locations. The initiative benefits the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and commemorates Pediatric Cancer Awareness month and supports patient programs, research and education efforts for children with cancer.

Stripes customers can donate by purchasing a $1 Stripes Celebrates Tomorrow paper pinup while checking out. Stripes will give customers a $1 bottled water for their donation. The campaign will run from Sept. 3 to Oct. 7 in Stripes stores across Texas.

Stripes stores since 2014 have raised more than $4.8 million for the MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital. The year’s funds will continue to support weeklong summer camps for children with cancer, MD Anderson’s Pediatric Education and Creative Arts Program and a new research project.

Stripes Convenience Stores are run by Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven.  

The NACS Foundation and retailers such as RaceTrac, Sheetz and Wawa celebrated local heroes for the inaugural 24/7 day on July 24. The event was created to honor first responders, doctors, nurses and military and disaster relief volunteers who work 24/7 to support their communities.

The event was launched with the support of the American Red Cross.

On July 24, RaceTrac and Sheetz offered a free small cup of coffee for small fountain drink to paramedics, EMTs, police officer and firefighters in uniform as a thank-you. Sheetz also supported 24/7 Day as a Community Leader Sponsor, with a donation to the NACS Foundation and Red Cross.

Wawa planned a special lunch for Red Cross volunteers and presented the organization with a check for money raised in its annual customer donation campaign.

Alexandria, Va.-based NACS became the first retail-focused association to partner with American Red Cross in June 2017. NACS retailer and supplier members donated more than $34 million in disaster relief to the Red Cross in the weeks immediately after Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria in late 2017.

The Stacy’s Rise Project has five finalists eligible for its $100,000 grand prize.

The mission of the project is to help women rise, such as trailblazing entrepreneur Stacy Madison of Stacy’s Pita Chips, a division of Purchase, N.Y.-based PepsiCo.

Each finalist will receive a $20,000 grant and participate in a three-month executive mentorship program to advance her business plan.

The finalists are:

• Hannah Dehradunwala of Transfernation, New York
• Pilar Gonzalez of Habibi Gourmet, Mission, Texas
• Kate Holby of Ajiri Tea, Upper Black Eddy, Pa.
• Hannah Hong of Hakuna Brands, Los Angeles
• Michele Liddle of Perfect Granola, Victor, N.Y.

The judging panel included entrepreneur, food expert, actress and author Padma Lakshmi; Frito-Lay and Stacy’s brand executives; Sean Kelly, co-founder and CEO of SnackNation; and Elizabeth Gore, president and chairwoman of Alice, the Al-based virtual advisory for female entrepreneurs.

Lakshmi will announce the winner Nov. 19, Women’s Entrepreneurship Day.

Imagine Snacks announced a partnership with No Kid Hungry to provided up to 3 million meals to children in need. Imagine’s support of No Kid Hungry includes an annual donation of $50,000 to fund creative play at summer meal sites.

Imagine launched a “Feeding Imagination” campaign in May that celebrates the endless possibilities of a child’s imagination, fueled by the nutritional benefits of wholesome ingredients, according to the company. The company went on a mobile tour this summer to visit community events, offer free samples and host hands-on activities to inspire families.

Imagine Snacks is a division of PepsiCo, Purchase, N.Y.

Country Time started a “Wedge Fund” program to match earnings from lemonade stands to help children pay for college. Children who download the Busy Kid app and upload lemonade stand profits will be matched up to $25 by Country Time. The savings acquired with Country Time can be put toward college tuitions.

Country Time is owned by Chicago-based Kraft Heinz Co.

Lay’s has unveiled more than 60 new potato chip bags starring 31 everyday people in its campaign to donate $1 million to Operation Smile.

As part of its Smiles campaign, Lay’s is featuring the smiles of 31 people who are making an impact in their communities. Customers can learn more about the stories behind the featured smilers though scanning a unique QR code on the back of each smiles bag.

The photographs of smiles will appear on traditional, wavy, lightly salted, Poppables and kettle-cooked chips bags.

Operation Smile provides surgeries to those born with cleft lip, cleft palate or other facial differences.

Plano, Texas-based parent company Frito-Lay also initiated a Snackable Notes program, which benefits Feed the Children. The Frito-Lay’s Variety Pack Snackable Notes help keep parents and children connected during the school day by giving space for messages on the snack bags. Through Oct. 15, Frito-Lay will make a donation to Feed the Children for every family who shares photos of their notes.

White Plains, N.Y.-based Heineken teamed up with California-based nonprofit One Tree Planted and Outside Lands Music Festival to plant trees.

The entities joined in a promotion in which a $1 donation resulted in the planting of one tree in Northern California.

The promotion, which took place in July and August, featured a POS that prompted shoppers to text GREEN to 88500 and receive a link to the Heineken unique One Tree Planted campaign page. Customers could then donate to the project or click for a chance to win VIP tickets to Outside Lands Music Festival.

Battle Creek, Mich.-based Kellogg’s has donated $1 million to No Kid Hungry to expand school breakfast programs. The company has donated 1.1 billion servings of food and reached more than 1.2 million children with education and feeding programs in the past two years.

The company’s Special Channels business is also partnering with No Kid Hungry on an Elevate the Plate Challenge, which awards school foodservice directors who share fresh ideas that get children excited about school.