On July 24 (7/24), the U.S. convenience store industry will unite for the seventh annual 24/7 Day, a nationwide celebration recognizing everyday heroes—including first responders, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), doctors, nurses, 9-1-1 professionals and American Red Cross volunteers—who serve their communities around the clock. Organized by the NACS Foundation, the charitable arm of the National Association of Convenience Stores, the day is a show of gratitude by the convenience-store industry.
This year’s theme, “We See You. We Thank You,” acknowledges the often-unheralded work that first responders do—running toward disasters when others must evacuate or flee, said NACS. The national 24/7 Day celebration raises awareness and recognizes these heroes from one of their largest supporters—convenience-store retailers and industry suppliers. Across the country, more than 90 convenience retailing companies and brands representing 35,000 stores will have offers such as free coffee, free meals or branded merchandise for first responders and Red Cross volunteers in uniform or with a valid badge. The event will also raise awareness of and donations for the Red Cross.
Retailers participating in this year’s celebration include 36 Lyn Refuel Station, Allsup’s and Yesway, Car-Go Express, Casey’s, CEFCO, CFCA, Circle K, Coen Markets, EG America brands (Certified Oil, Cumberland Farms, Fastrac, Kwik Shop, Loaf ‘N Jug, Minit Mart, Quik Stop Markets, Sprint Food Stores, Tom Thumb, Turkey Hill Minit Markets), Enmarket, Estepp’s, Fastime, FavTrip, G Spot, Gas N Wash, Good 2 Go, GPM Investments brands (1-Stop, Admiral, Apple Market, BreadBox, Express Stop, E-Z Mart, fas mart, fastmarket, Flash Market, Handy Mart, Jiffi Stop, Jiffy Stop Food Marts, Li’l Cricket, Next Door Store, Pride, Quarles, R Store, Roadrunner Markets, Scotchman, shore stop, Town Star, Uncle’s, Village Pantry, Youngs), High’s, Hop Shops, Ideal Market, Kwik Trip, Loop Neighborhood Markets, Louisiana Truck Stop & Gaming Administration (Bigtop Travel Center, Coushatta Truck Stop, Houma Coteau Travel Plaza, I-220 Travel Plaza, Mansfield Travel Plaza, Opelousas 190 Truck Stop, Southern Belle Truck Stop, Quick Draw Travel Plaza, Waverly Truck Stop), Minuteman Food Mart, Mountain View Co-op, OnCue, On the Run, Onvo, Poppy Market, RaceTrac, Rmarts, Rutter’s, Sheetz, Spinx, Sprint Mart, St. Romain Oil Co./Y-Not Stop, The Convenience Group, The Hub Convenience Stores, The Markets of Tiger Fuel, Thorntons, TXB, U-Stop Convenience Shops, United Pacific (Rocket and Alta Convenience), Wawa and the Wawa Foundation and Weigel’s.
Supplier brands including Anheuser-Busch, Keurig Dr Pepper, Reynolds American and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) are also joining the celebration with in-store activations, giveaways and national awareness efforts.
A full list of participants, as well as what each store is offering, is available at www.247day.org, and a map sharing the location of each participating store in the country is at www.247Day.org/map.
“Convenience stores often serve as lifelines in times of crisis—offering first responders a place to assess emergency situations, recharge, reconnect and stay fueled,” said Kevin O’Connell, executive director of the NACS Foundation. “This celebration is about honoring a shared commitment to the communities we both serve.”
The U.S. convenience-store industry, with more than 152,000 stores nationwide selling fuel, food and merchandise, conducts 160 million transactions daily and had sales of $837 billion in 2024, according to NACS.
As part of this year’s celebration, the NACS Foundation debuted its First Responder of the Year Award program, honoring outstanding individuals who go above and beyond in service to their communities. The association will select the winner from nationwide nominations. The winner will receive free gas for a year, provided by NACS Foundation partner GSTV, Detroit. Like all the initiatives that are part of 24/7 Day, this specific spotlight for local heroes and their stories on a national stage gives the convenience-store industry a meaningful way to thank and celebrate the people who keep their local communities safe every day, NACS said.
Founded in 1971, Alexandria, Virginia-based NACS has more than 1,000 retail member companies that cumulatively represent more than 200,000 stores in more than 50 countries, including 90,000 stores in the United States.
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