Community Service Roundup, January 2020
By Hannah Hammond on Feb. 04, 2020CHICAGO — This month’s roundup features the charitable efforts of eight convenience-store companies and one supplier.
Click through to see how c-store chains, including Casey's General Stores, QuickChek and Thorntons, gave back to their communities …
Casey’s General Stores
To celebrate the launch of Casey’s Rewards, the chain is giving more than $50,000 in donations toward local schools.
Casey’s General Stores, Ankeny, Iowa, recently started its first loyalty program that allows Casey’s shoppers in 16 states to earn points for their purchases and redeem them for Casey’s Cash, fuel discounts or donations to a local school of their choice through the Cash for Classrooms initiative.
Casey’s will be giving an initial donation to 16 schools, one in each state that it operates, as part of the launch. Customers who sign up for the rewards program can select a local school they would like to support through Cash for Classrooms, and the schools that are selected will be eligible to receive up to $5,000 and a pizza celebration. Customers must make their selection by Feb. 14.
QuickChek Corp.
QuickChek Corp., Whitehouse Station, N.J., has raised $110,000 as part of the annual Check-Out Hunger campaign to help feed hungry families during the holiday season. The chain is a campaign partner of the annual fundraiser that takes place throughout the New Jersey region at major supermarkets and convenience stores, benefiting more than 40 Feeding America food banks and affiliates from New England to Florida.
Customers at QuickChek helped fight hunger by donating $1, $3 or $5 coupons at store checkout counters during a six-week period that ended on Dec 14.
A total of $761,000 has been raised in the six years QuickChek has been a part of the Check-Out Hunger campaign.
Thorntons
Thorntons LLC, Louisville, Ky., pledged to donate $200,000 to help feed the hungry in celebration of the company opening its 200th store.
Twenty cents from each 24-ounce, limited-edition coffee cup that is sold will go toward helping hunger relief organizations.
Thorntons is also partnering with local nonprofits to launch a companywide food donation program. Every store will partner with a local hunger relief agency to donate its surplus food items.
CITGO
The CITGO refinery in Lemont, Ill., continued its tradition of collecting new toys for the Toys for Tots program this past holiday season. It gathered about seven truckloads of toys and brought them to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Center in Joliet, Ill., for distribution.
Rutter’s
Rutter’s ended 2019 with more than $1.1 million given in charitable donations. The York, Pa.-based chain holds several fundraising events throughout the year, including the Rutter’s Children’s Charities Golf Outing, Vote With Your Dollars, Rutter’s charity canister program and its Secret Santa program.
Grand opening events at new store locations also feature a donation of a check to a local nonprofit.
Stewart’s Shops
Stewart’s Shops’ 2019 holiday match program raised more than $1.9 million for local children’s organizations.
Customers of the Ballston Spa, N.Y.-based c-store raised $895,000 between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day for the program, which was matched by Stewart’s Shop. The proceeds benefit local nonprofit children’s organizations.
Parker Cos.
Parker Cos. donated $2,500 to Susan G. Komen Coastal Georgia to help the nonprofit offer breast cancer screenings, support services and education to area residents. Parker’s donated a portion of the proceeds from the sale of pink breast cancer awareness refillable cups to raise the money.
Parker’s, Savannah, Ga., also gives back to the communities it serves through the Fueling the Community Program, which donates a portion of the profit of every gallon of gas sold on the first Wednesday of the month to area schools. It also endows the Parker’s Emergency Trauma Center at Memorial Hospital in Savannah and spearheads an anti-litter campaign.
Irving Oil
Irving Oil, Saint John, N.B., has introduced Fuel the Care Pumps at select retail locations across the Halifax Regional Municipality in Canada in support of the IWK Foundation.
The company will donate 1 cent per liter of fuel purchased at the pumps to the foundation, and the donations will be made in the form of fuel gift cards to support the travel costs of families who have children undergoing medical care.
Hormel Foods
The makers of Skippy peanut butter donated more than 32,000 cases of Skippy P.B. & Jelly Minis to Convoy of Hope to help those in need during this past holiday season. The sandwiches were distributed at holiday and community outreach events.
The donation served more than 90,000 people across the area.
Hormel Foods, Austin, Minn., owns the Skippy brand.
Want to share your organization's charitable efforts? Contact Hannah Prokop at hprokop@winsightmedia.com.