Community Service Roundup August 2018: Initiatives by 11 Retailers
By Kristina Hurtig on Aug. 20, 2018CHICAGO -- This community-service roundup features the charitable efforts of 11 convenience-store retailers and one supplier.
Recent acts of generosity include donating to firefighting efforts in California, holding school-supply drives and supporting local hospitals.
Click through to read about these initiatives and more ...
Aloha Petroleum Ltd.
Aloha Petroleum Ltd., one of the largest gasoline marketers and convenience-store operators in the state of Hawaii, raised more than $10,000 to support the work of Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA). Throughout April and May, customers could add a donation of $1 or more at checkout to support a healthier future for children in both Hawaii and the rest of the United States.
Honolulu-based Aloha Petroleum first partnered with PHA in October 2016 and is expanding its healthier food options in Aloha Island Mart stores. It will continue to make those choices more affordable while supporting its healthier options through in-store marketing and promotions.
Brookwood Financial Partners, dba Yesway
Sponsored by Brookwood Financial Partners, the fifth annual Lungstrong 5K Race & 1.5 Mile Walk in Beverly, Mass., raised more than $85,000 for Massachusetts General Hospital’s Thoracic Cancer Center.
Diane Legg, a 13-year lung cancer survivor, founded Lungstrong in 2011, and Jill O’Leary, a vice president of Brookwood and a close friend of Legg’s, founded the Lungstrong 5K race five years ago.
Beverly, Mass.-based Brookwood Financial Partners is a real-estate and private-equity investment and asset management company. It formed BW Gas & Convenience Stores in 2015 and announced its c-store brand—Yesway—in summer 2016.
Cenex Zip Trip
In July, Cenex Zip Trip raised money to help prepare local kids for the new school year. The Spokane, Wash.-based retailer partnered with The Salvation Army for the annual Backpacks for Kids campaign, which provides backpacks full of school supplies to local families in need. Over the past seven years, Cenex Zip Trip has raised more than $300,000 for Backpacks for Kids. In 2017, Cenex Zip Trip raised more than $71,000.
Chevron
San Ramon, Calif.-based Chevron is donating $500,000 from the Chevron Global Community Fund to the American Red Cross in support of relief efforts for California wildfires. In 2017, the Chevron Global Community Fund donated a total of $1 million for California wildfire relief efforts.
California is battling more than a dozen wildfires in the northern and central portions of the state.
Cumberland Farms
Throughout August, Cumberland Farms is holding its seventh annual Cups for Kids Fundraiser, which benefits pediatric care programs at five regional hospitals, including Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. During the month, 5 cents from every iced coffee or Chill Zone beverage purchased at participating retail locations in the Northeast will be donated directly to pediatric care programs at partnering children’s hospitals.
Westborough, Mass.-Cumberland Farms also held a one-day fundraiser July 27 to honor the memory of Sgt. Michael Chesna, a member of the Weymouth (Mass.) Police Department who was killed in the line of duty during a shooting in July. The chain raised the funds for the Officer Michael Chesna Family Fund.
Loop Neighborhood
Loop Neighborhood celebrated Pride 2018 with a monthlong promotion in which the retailer donated 1% of all in-store purchases (totaling up to a donation of $50,000) to Bay Area LGBTQ causes.
“Partnering with Pride San Francisco was a great opportunity for Loop to get involved with such an iconic organization,” said Varish Goyal, president of Loop Neighborhood Markets. “Not only were we able to celebrate together, but we were able to contribute to the community as a whole.”
Loop has more than 27 locations in Northern California. It is the c-store chain under Fremont, Calif.-based Vintners Distributors Inc.
QMart
After the May 18 school shooting at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas, in which eight students and two teachers were killed and 13 others were wounded, QMart held a blood drive and donated $2,000 to the school district to help those in need. The Houston-based chain has a c-store less than 10 miles away from the school.
“C-stores play a critical role in the community. Customers see us as part of their neighborhood. When tragedy happens, we must take action to rally behind those impacted,” said CEO Fazil Malik.
Photograph courtesy of QMart
Smoker Friendly
Smoker Friendly’s Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival this year is going green in regard to bottled water. Each attendee of the event, which takes place Aug. 25 at the Omni Interlocken Resort in Broomfield, Colo., will receive a complimentary water bottle that will allow them to fill up at the water tables from Event Water Solution Inc. Each water table has self-service spouts that dispense 1 liter of triple-filtered water in less than 10 seconds.
Boulder, Colo.-based Smoker Friendly is a tobacco retailer with about 800 independently owned and operated stores.
Speedway
Enon, Ohio-based Speedway raised more than $2.5 million for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMNH) during its 27th annual Speedway Miracle Tournament in June. Nearly 800 golfers participated in the event, which has raised more than $100 million for CMNH since its inception.
Photograph courtesy of Speedway
Spinx
As part of the company’s March for Babies campaign, Greenville, S.C.-based Spinx has raised $334,451 for March of Dimes, surpassing its goal and nearly doubling last year’s record of $180,000. “Our goal has always been not only to raise more funds to support the March of Dimes, but also to raise awareness of its ongoing efforts to fight for the health and well-being of moms and their babies,” said Spinx President Stan Storti, who served as the 2018 chairman for the Greenville March of Dimes March for Babies.
Spinx also raised more than $100,000 during its Charity Classic Golf Tournament on March 8. The beneficiaries of the 18th annual tournament were the American Red Cross, the Children’s Museum of the Upstate, Loaves & Fishes, Pendleton Place and Safe Harbor.
Photograph courtesy of Spinx
Turkey Hill Minit Markets
Turkey Hill Minit Markets recently allocated donations totaling more than $66,000 to five Pennsylvania service organizations. The funds were raised during several fundraising activities.
The Pennsylvania Veterans Foundation received more than $34,000 in proceeds, while Caitlin’s Smiles, Keystone Pet Enhanced Therapy Services, Kisses for Kaeden and the Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute each received $8,000.
Lancaster, Pa.-based Turkey Hill has stores across the Keystone State, as well as an expanding presence in Ohio and Indiana.
Photograph courtesy of Turkey Hill
Kellogg Co.
Battle Creek, Mich.-based The Kellogg Co. is providing cereal, bars and snacks to California families forced to evacuate their homes due to wildfires in the area. Five semitrailers of Kellogg foods, more than 1.7 million servings, are being delivered to area food banks by its charity partner, Feeding America.
Have a community-service announcement of your own to share? Send related news to Kristina Peters at kpeters@winsightmedia.com.