Community Service Roundup, October 2022
By Rachel Gignac on Nov. 08, 2022CHICAGO — In October,seven convenience-store and gas station retailers, a petroleum brand and four suppliers launched initiatives to give back to their communities.
Company donations went toward Veteran’s Day campaigns, children’s charities, hospitals, foster care systems and more.
Find out more about how retailers and suppliers fundraised this October …
Pilot
Pilot Co., Knoxville, Tenn., revealed the winners of its annual Road Warrior contest, which recognizes truck drivers. This year’s $15,000 grand prize went to David Sweetman, and Pilot surprised him during his award ceremony at the Bennett Family of Companies with a $15,000 donation on his behalf to the organization.
The $10,000 second place winner was Jeffery Thomas, and third place resulted in a tie between Greg Hepner and Ron Rigdon, who won $5,000 each.
Sweetman is an Army Veteran with more than 50 years and five million miles behind the wheel. Thomas is the independent owner operator of Joly American Enterprises LLC, Marine veteran and driver trainer with more than 35 years of experience. Hepner has spent 30 years and more than three million incident free miles behind the wheel covering 38 states, 17 countries and three war zones and currently drives for Tidewater Transit Co. Rigdon is an Army veteran, father and grandfather who currently operates a 53-foot race car hauler across the country for Parella Motorsports Holdings.
Pilot also donated more than $100,000 to local schools while commemorating its new travel center and store remodels in Palmdale, Calif.
Love's
Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores Inc., Oklahoma City, raised more than $4.3 million though its annual Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN) campaign, surpassing last year’s total by more than $1 million.
Customers participated through in-store fundraisers, purchasing balloons and CMN Hospitals merchandise and rounding up change at the register. For the first time, customers can continue to donate throughout the year with Round up the Change.
Love’s offered a food and drink deal on Veteran’s Day in addition to extending a $150,000 donation to Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit that supports military families. The donation came from the sale of special edition Operation Homefront tumblers, combined with a gift from the company.
Parker’s
Parker’s Cos., Savannah, Ga., raised $215,000 at the 10th Annual Parker’s Fueling the Community Charity Golf Tournament. The funds will support education in the communities Parker’s serves in southeast Georgia and South Carolina.
“Each year, our tournament grows in popularity, supporting our efforts to make a meaningful impact in the communities we serve,” said Greg Parker, founder and CEO of Parker’s. “By moving to a new venue and expanding the tournament across two courses, we were able to include more golfers and raise record-breaking funds to support area schools. We deeply appreciate the support of Parker’s Fueling the Community Golf Tournament sponsors and players.”
Mobil
Adam Teer, owner of a Mobil gas station in Grand Blanc, Mich., painted the store pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month; however, city officials said it was in violation of city code.
“I was thinking it was positive and it was the opposite,” Teer said. “I was shocked, even when they knew it was Breast Cancer Awareness Month.”
Teer was told to repaint the building back to an approved color or face a $500 fine daily and potentially 90 days in jail.
“The city is in support of breast cancer awareness and understands the need to get awareness out and help people, but we also have our guidelines and ordinances we must follow,” said Wendy Jean-Buhrer, Grand Blanc, Mich., city manager.
Kum & Go
Des Moines, Iowa-based Kum & Go (Krause Group) raised more than $41,000 for United Way of Central Iowa’s annual campaign at their Store Support Center headquarters and local Kum & Go store location checkouts. More than 50 stores in Polk, Dallas and Warren counties participated.
Rutter’s
Rutter’s, York, Pa., unveiled its Holiday Donation Giveaway, where four local charities will receive $25,000 each.
“Through our $100k for the Holidays donations, we hope to make this season a little brighter for those in need,” said Chris Hartman, president of Rutter’s Children’s Charities. “We look forward to choosing four worthy charities and spreading the holiday cheer!”
Charity applications are open through Nov. 21. Charities must have a focus on benefitting children and be a 501c3 organization. At the conclusion of the submission period, Rutter’s Children’s Charities will review the applications and select four winners.
TXB
TXB, Spicewood, Texas, donated $5,000 to Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), a nonprofit that advocates for children in the foster care system.
In addition to the initial donation, the president of Cheyenne Construction Group, Richmond, Texas, decided to match TXB’s donation, resulting in $10,000 total.
Shell
Shell Oil Products U.S., Houston, ended its three-month Giving Pump initiative, where a portion of purchases made by drivers at designated pumps supported children-focused organizations.
The Giving Pump supported 527 organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Make-A-Wish Foundation, United Way and Shriners Burn Hospital.
The number of Shell stations participating in the Giving Pump doubled from last year, with more than 6,500 stations signed up to give back during this three-month initiative.
C4 Energy
C4 Energy, Austin, Texas, partnered with Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), a nonprofit that helps veterans and active-duty service members. The two-year campaign will help WWP provide free, life-changing programs to injured veterans on their journey of healing and improving overall physical and mental wellbeing.
The campaign includes a $500,000 donation to WWP, an exclusive C4 Energy and WWP Mango Foxtrot flavor, a 205-mile weighted ruck carry and fundraiser led by U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Cpl. Nick Perales and education for consumers on WWP.
C4 Energy will continue to support WWP’s mission of helping wounded veterans as the national pre-workout sponsor of the nonprofit’s Carry Forward 5K events, with sampling of the co-branded cans, on-site activations and warmups led by C4 Ambassadors, such as Perales.
Talking Rain Beverage Co.
Talking Rain Beverage Co., Seattle, Wash., maker of Sparkling Ice, announced its Cheers to Giving campaign, which invites consumers to nominate charities for a chance to win one of three $50,000 donations. Customers can nominate a charity through Nov. 19, and the three winning charities will be announced on Dec. 13.
Kellogg’s and Giant Food
The Kellogg Co., Battle Creek, Mich., partnered with Giant Food, Landover, Md., to support the Maryland Food Bank (MFB). The initiative is part of Giant Food’s Lend a Hand for Hunger campaign and Kellogg’s Better Days Promise strategy.
Giant Food delivered a truck full of cereals from Kellogg's to MFB in Baltimore, and both companies donated $10,000 each to the food bank. Representatives from both companies volunteered to sort and pack food for distribution through MFB's statewide network of community partners.