Community Service Roundup, January 2021
By Hannah Hammond on Jan. 28, 2021CHICAGO — This month’s community service roundup features five convenience-store chains and one beverage distributor who have recently given back to their communities.
Click through to see how c-stores donated their money in January…
Parker’s
Parker’s, Savannah, Ga., donated $20 million to support charitable initiatives throughout coastal Georgia and South Carolina.
The Parker’s Community Fund will support a range of charitable causes in the region and a new Community Impact Committee will decide how to allocate the funds to make the biggest impact, the chain said.
“At Parker’s we have a profound commitment to giving back to the communities that have supported us over the years,” said Parker’s founder and CEO Greg Parker. “This initial gift of $20 million is the beginning of a fund that we intend to grow. The new Parker’s Community Fund will allow us to make an even bigger impact in the future, supporting important causes that matter most to our customers.”
In recent years, Parker’s has donated to the Parker’s Emergency and Trauma Center at Memorial Hospital in Savannah and made a $5 million donation to the Parker College of Business at Georgia Southern University.
The company’s Fueling the Community initiative gives back to every community where Parker’s does business. A percentage of the gas sold at Parker’s locations on the first Wednesday of the month is donated to the program.
Casey’s General Stores
Casey’s General Stores raised money throughout January to support schools across the 16 states where it has stores. Casey’s customers could round up purchases to provide funding for projects at local schools.
The Ankeny, Iowa-based c-store chain also partnered with LIFEWTR to offer $1 for every purchase of LIFEWTR brand drink and a Mega Slice, up to $250,000, to benefit schools.
Casey’s Cash for Classrooms grant program gives grants ranging from $1,000 to $50,000 in March to schools to use for physical improvements, material needs, teacher support and community engagement initiatives.
QuikTrip
QuikTrip, Tulsa, Okla., is opening four stores in Columbia, S.C., as Safe Places.
Safe Place is a national youth outreach and prevention program for young people in need of immediate help and safety. Safe Place designates businesses, like QuikTrip stores, as Safe Place locations to make help readily available to youth in communities across the country. Safe Place’s yellow diamond signs in front of the stores mark it as a safe place for youth.
Youth in crisis can come in and wait in a safe environment for a volunteer from Palmetto Place Children & Youth Services to connect them with or offer professional help.
“This integral partnership between QuikTrip and Palmetto Place gives youth a chance to seek help that they may not have otherwise had,” said Laurie Jackson, president and CEO of National Safe Place Network. “Unfortunately, in today’s world, young people face family problems, homelessness, bullying, neglect, abuse and even human trafficking. Expanding the safety net for youth through this partnership helps combat the growing epidemic of youth homelessness across the Columbia community by giving them access to immediate help and safety.”
CEFCO
CEFCO, Temple, Texas, gave Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals $400,000 to benefit the Baylor Scott & White McLane Children’s Medical Center and 15 other CMN Hospitals.
The gift comes from CEFCO’s annual campaign that ran from Sept. 21 through Oct. 30. CEFCO has been donating to CMN Hospitals for 21 years with more than $5 million in donations.
CMN Hospitals raise money for 170 children’s hospitals that support 10 million kids each year across the United States and Canada, according to the organization.
Maverik
Maverik is taking part in two initiatives to help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Salt Lake City, Utah-based chain is donating $150,000 to Feeding America. The money will be distributed to six food banks across the communities where Maverik operates.
Customers can also give to the cause through Maverik's Round Up the Change for Feeding America program, which allows people to round up their transaction to the nearest dollar through Feb. 28.
“It’s important to Maverik to give back to the communities where we live and work,” said Chuck Maggelet, president and chief adventure guide of Maverik. “The current pandemic has propelled millions into food insecurity and food banks are responding to the surge in demand. We are proud to team up with Feeding America to offer our neighbors additional resources to help them obtain access to nutritious food.”
Talking Rain Beverage Co.
Preston, Wash.-based Talking Rain, the makers of Sparkling Ice, teamed up with four national charities to give back during the holiday season. Each charity involved received a $25,000 donation from its Giving & Sharing program.
When customers used Sparkling Ice Rewards, the brand’s shopper rewards site, consumers could select a charity for the company to donate to on their behalf. The charities were JDRF, the National CARES Mentoring Movement, Together We Rise and A Small Act of Kindness.