Community Service Roundup: Initiatives by 8 Retailers (December 2016)
By Kristina Hurtig on Dec. 16, 2016CITGO
Houston-based CITGO Petroleum Corp., along with its partners SEI Fuels, Global Partners and Tradewinds, raised $20,000 from July through October for the Red Sox Foundation. The funds, which will benefit research, youth programs, scholarships and local community support, were raised during CITGO’s Red Sox-branded spirit pump initiative and other various fundraising activities in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine.
GPM Investments
Richmond, Va.-based GPM Investments’ Village Pantry and Next Door Store c-stores donated more than $32,500 to the Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation for childhood cancer research. The funds were raised during the 2016 Icon Campaign, in which 161 stores in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan collected $1 donations for a paper icon.
In the past 10 years, Village Pantry and Next Door Store have raised more than $2 million for the foundation.
NOCO Energy
NOCO Energy, Tonawanda, N.Y., donated $6,850 to the Newman Family Club, the Tonawanda location of the Northtowns Boys and Girls Club. NOCO employees and vendor partners raised the funds during NOCO Express’ annual golf tournament this past summer at Holiday Valley.
NOCO customers and employees also recently raised $21,173 to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Western & Central New York Chapter and $13,541 to support The Salvation Army Buffalo Area Services.
Rapid Refill
In its sixth year, Rapid Refill’s Purple Pump-Up campaign raised $106,391 for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. The 2016 campaign featured eight Rapid Refill locations throughout eastern Massachusetts and ran from June 1 through July 17. All funds are donated directly to the Alzheimer’s Association Massachusetts/New Hampshire Chapter.
Volta Oil, a wholesale gasoline and diesel distributor based in Plymouth, Mass., operates the Rapid Refills.
Rutter's Farm Stores
Through its Vote With Your Dollars program, York, Pa.-based Rutter’s Farm Stores is giving $25,000 each to three charities: the York County Food Bank, Make-A-Wish Foundation and Leg Up Farm, a nonprofit therapy center.
The program allows consumers to use the Rutter’s Rewards loyalty program to help select local charities to receive financial support.
The York County Food Bank will use its donation to renovate a larger building; Make-A-Wish of Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia will grant five wishes to area children; and Leg Up Farm will replace the footing in its therapeutic riding arena.
To celebrate the grand opening of a store in Strasburg, Pa., Rutter’s also donated $1,000 each to the Food Pantry in the First Presbyterian Church of Strasburg, the Solanco Food Bank, Strasburg Borough Police Department and Strasburg Fire Company No. 1.
The Food Pantry and Food Bank will use the donations to provide Christmas meals to a combined 155 families.
Terrible Herbst
TravelCenters of America
On Dec. 17, Westlake, Ohio-based TravelCenters of America, operator of the TA and Petro Stopping Centers brands, participated in the Wreaths Across America annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
“As always, we want to thank those drivers and trucking companies who volunteer their time in transporting the wreaths to Arlington—a critical function of this special event,” said Tom O'Brien, president and CEO of TravelCenters of America. “The Christmas season is an important time to honor and remember our servicemen and women since the holidays can be a challenging time for military members and families.”
VERC Enterprises
VERC Enterprises, Duxbury, Mass., recently helped the Suffolk University fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon raise $2,350 to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation. On Nov. 12, VERC donated $2 for every car washed at the Briteway in Marshfield and Norwell, Mass., to the fraternity’s campaign.
Have a community-service announcement of your own to share? Send related news to Kristina Peters at kpeters@winsightmedia.com.