More C-Store Industry Players Pitch In With Harvey Relief
By Kristina Hurtig on Sep. 06, 2017CHICAGO -- Hurricane Harvey may have dissipated, but recovery in the Texas and Louisiana regions is far from over. The convenience, fuel, tobacco and food and beverage industries have continued to pitch in with relief efforts by making monetary donations and delivering food and supplies.
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Ahold USA
Carlisle, Pa.-based Ahold USA and its brands, including Stop & Shop, Giant Food of Landover and Giant Food Stores of Carlisle, is donating $250,000 to help with relief and recovery efforts following Hurricane Harvey. The donation, made up of $175,000 in cash donations and $75,000 in needed food and supplies, will be made to the hardest-hit areas in Texas to help families affected by the recent storm. In addition, select locations of Ahold USA brands will serve as collection points for canned and packaged food.
Altria
To help with Harvey relief efforts, Richmond, Va.-based Altria has donated $500,000 to the American Red Cross through the OneStar Foundation. This donation is in addition to a $500,000 donation Altria made earlier this year to the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program, which enables the Red Cross to respond to a disaster at a moment’s notice. The company is also matching dollar for dollar any employee donations to the Red Cross or another nonprofit in support of Harvey recovery.
Andeavor
To assist with relief efforts throughout Texas and Louisiana, Andeavor has made a $100,000 contribution to the American Red Cross, as well as a $50,000 contribution to the San Antonio Food Bank to support those that have sought shelter in San Antonio. The San Antonio-based refiner, formerly known as Tesoro Corp., also created a special Matching Gifts Program for employees to have their personal contributions to the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, AmeriCares and Feeding Texas organizations matched up to $5,000 per employee. This new program is in addition to Andeavor’s existing $5,000 Matching Gifts Program.
CITGO
CITGO Petroleum Corp. has donated $3 million to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund. The donation will ensure that local first-response teams can continue their relief efforts, provide basic necessities such as food and water to flood victims, and address other immediate needs.
Houston-based CITGO will also be donating a percentage of fuel sales that will go toward housing-rebuilding efforts in the region. The company said details of this program are being developed and will be made public once finalized.
Core-Mark
In conjunction with state and federal disaster-relief officials, South San Francisco, Calif.-based Core-Mark Holding Co. Inc. is leveraging its supply chain to supply much-needed food and water to first responders and to support recovery efforts for its customers. Relief and assistance operations are being coordinated from Core-Mark’s mobile command post and will include both large and small delivery vehicles from its fleet to increase penetration of supplies into the regions affected by the hurricane.
Core-Mark International will also be establishing a relief fund to assist Core-Mark’s affected employees in the region, as well as donating money to assist the victims of Hurricane Harvey.
ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil’s U.S. Branded Wholesale Network, which operates more than 11,000 Exxon and Mobil service stations across the United States, has organized a relief fund to help Gulf Coast residents affected by Hurricane Harvey. The network has set up a fundraising page through the American Red Cross where branded wholesalers can make a contribution. The site has already raised more than $140,000, with a target goal of $2 million.
Irving, Texas-based Exxon Mobil Corp. also donated $1 million to the American Red Cross and United Way of Greater Houston and set up an employee and retiree donation-match program to support relief and recovery. Employee and retiree contributions to the American Red Cross and Salvation Army will be matched on a one-to-one basis up to $3 million.
ITG Brands
Greensboro, N.C.-based ITG Brands and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based premium-cigar division Tabacalera USA are donating through their affiliated foundation $50,000 to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Harvey-related assistance in Houston and other affected areas.
“We have been touched by the devastation, loss of life and disruption this natural disaster has wrought on Houstonians and many other Texans,” said ITG Brands CEO David Taylor. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all who live and work in all areas affected by this disaster, especially for our own employees and trading partners in Texas and elsewhere.”
Lou Perrine's Gas and Grocery
Kenosha, Wis.-based Lou Perrine’s Gas and Grocery is donating more than 30,000 bottles of its private-label spring water to the Red Cross for Texas, owner Anthony Perrine told CSP Daily News. The Red Cross is picking up the bottles on Sept. 8. Perrine said the bottles are scheduled to go to Beaumont, Texas, but with Hurricane Irma approaching it may head to Florida as well.
Love’s
Love’s Travel Stops is giving $1 million to help with mid- to long-term Hurricane Harvey relief and recovery efforts. The Oklahoma City-based retailer is giving $500,000 to the United Way Harvey Recovery Fund, which ensures 100% of donations will be distributed to local United Ways to help victims in affected areas in Texas and Louisiana, and $500,000 to help its employees through the Love’s Employee Emergency Fund.
“Our hearts are with everyone affected by this unprecedented storm,” said Jenny Love Meyer, vice president of communications for Love’s. “Many of our employees are among the thousands who have suffered personal and property loss. Even so, many have reported to work to keep our locations open where possible to take care of first responders and anyone needing assistance.”
Marathon Petroleum
Marathon Petroleum Corp., Findlay, Ohio, is donating $1 million to charitable organizations and municipalities in the Galveston County and Corpus Christi, Texas, areas to assist with recovery from Hurricane Harvey. It will also donate up to an additional $100,000 in matching donations from its employees.
“We are committed to helping our friends and neighbors recover from this devastating storm,” said MPC Chairman and CEO Gary R. Heminger. “For decades we have been proud to support the cities and agencies that strengthen our communities, and we are grateful for their dedication as we all pull together to assist those in need.”
P&CMA
The Petroleum & Convenience Marketers of Alabama (P&CMA) has made a monetary donation to the American Red Cross in honor and recognition of the Texas Food & Fuel Association (TFFA).
“On behalf of the board of directors and members of P&CMA, I want to send our heartfelt and sincere condolences to all of your members, their families, their customers, their friends and those whom they do not know that have been so dramatically and severely impacted by Hurricane Harvey," P&CMA President J. Bart Fletcher said in a letter to Paul Hardin, president of the TFFA, Austin, Texas.
Phillips 66
Houston-based Phillips 66 is contributing $3 million to assist Hurricane Harvey relief efforts in southeast Texas. The donation will be shared equally by the Rebuild Texas Fund, United Way of Greater Houston and the American Red Cross, and will bring the company’s total contributions to $4 million since the storm.
“We recognize the road to recovery will be long, but remain deeply committed to helping our communities rebuild. We also recognize that efforts to rebuild will require everyone working together,” said Greg Garland, chairman and CEO of Phillips 66. “Texas is our home, and we are dedicated to supporting our Phillips 66 family and the communities in which we live and work.”
Phillips 66 also has an employee matching program, which will match employee contributions for disaster relief up to $15,000, and a volunteer-grants program, which will provide financial donations for volunteer hours provided by Phillips 66 employees.
Reynolds American Foundation
The Reynolds American Foundation has donated $150,000 to the American Red Cross for assisting Hurricane Harvey victims in Houston and the surrounding area. “Our hearts go out to all those impacted by this disaster,” said John “Tripp” Wilson, president of the Reynolds American Foundation, Winston-Salem, N.C. “We know that the American Red Cross is working tirelessly to help those in need, and we are pleased to provide financial support.”
The Reynolds American Foundation focuses its contribution resources in communities where significant numbers of Reynolds American Inc. and its subsidiaries’ employees live and work. RAI subsidiaries include R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co., American Snuff Co., Niconovum USA and R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co.
Sheetz
Altoona, Pa.-based Sheetz announced it will match in-store donations (up to $50,000) to Hurricane Harvey disaster-relief efforts. The convenience retailer’s 560 stores across Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia will accept donations at checkout from Sept. 7-30. All of the funds collected will be donated to the American Red Cross.
“Our hearts go out to the communities recovering from the widespread devastation caused by this storm,” said Joe Sheetz, president and CEO of Sheetz. “As a company, we are always focused on supporting the communities in which we operate, and we want to extend our support to the communities impacted by this storm.”
Snyder's-Lance
After sending a truck full of snacks to Texas with another on its way, Charlotte, N.C.-based Snyder's-Lance Inc. is donating $150,000 to the Red Cross for Harvey relief efforts. The company will also match employee donations of up to $100,000 to the Snyder's-Lance Employee Relief Fund, according to a Charlotte Business Journal report.