As successful as these Top 101 retailers are, they recognize the individuals in the communities are largely responsible for their ongoing success. Perhaps as a result, many operators make it a central part of their business to give back to said communities through various charitable causes. Here’s just a small sampling of some of the philanthropic organizations these retailers support.
| Charitable Retailers | Main Organizations |
|---|---|
| Speedway | Children's Miracle Network Hospitals |
| Petroleum Marketers Inc. (Stop In Food Stores) | The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) |
| VPS Convenience Store Group | Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation |
| GPM Investments LLC (Fas Mart) | Make-A-Wish & Support Our Troops |
| Martin & Bayley Inc. (Huck's) | Karing for Kids |
| Gasamat Oil Corp. (Smoker Friendly) | JDRF |
| Alimentation Couche-Tard (Mac's, Circle K) | American Red Cross |
| Sheetz Inc. | Sheetz Family Christmas |
Giving Holiday Cheer
While there are certainly individuals in need all year long, the holidays are a special focus for many of these givers. Todd Jenney, CEO of Carmi, Ill.-based Huck’s Convenience Stores, says the company’s own Karing for Kids program—which raised nearly half a million dollars this year—started almost a decade ago with a grass-roots campaign at the store level to raise funds to provide local needy children with Christmas shopping excursions.
“Since then, we put in some corporate programs to really put it on steroids, so to speak,” he says. He was recently approached by a store employee who benefited from this program as a child. “Here’s an individual who went shopping with us as a young child and is now hopefully going to make a career with our organization.”
Other Givers to Services
- The Pantry (Kangaroo Express) raised nearly $2.7 million for Salute Our Troops in 2013.
- Alon Brands has raised significant funds for the USO, including a 2011 partnership with BIC Consumer Products USA to sell military-themed lighters and donate a portion to the organization.
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