Convenience-store chain RaceTrac is holding its “Coffee for a Cause” week starting April 14. The initiative raises money and awareness for Parkinson’s research.
All coffee proceeds raised between April 14 and 20 will be donated to The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF). RaceTrac customers will also have the option to choose between adding $1 to their in-store purchases or selecting a special $1 candy bar available at the register to support the cause throughout April, which is Parkinson’s Awareness month.
Since 2011, RaceTrac has raised more than $8 million to support Parkinson’s research through its “Coffee for a Cause” week and annual Run For Research 5K, scheduled for Sept. 14.
“RaceTrac's partnership with The Michael J. Fox Foundation is very personal for my family and we are so proud of the outpouring of support our guests have provided over the years, including raising more than $700,000 during ‘Coffee for a Cause’ last year,” said Melanie Isbill, chief brand officer at RaceTrac and member of MJFF’s board of directors. “The foundation has made significant advances in the past year, and I am humbled by RaceTrac’s unwavering presence in this fight as we work together to fund research towards advances in treatments and a cure in support of patients and their families.”
About 90,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with Parkinson’s every year. Isbill’s father and RaceTrac’s Executive Chairman Carl Bolch Jr. has Parkinson’s disease, as did his father, Carl Bolch Sr.
Carl Bolch Sr. started the company in 1934 with the opening of Carl Bolch Trackside Stations. His son took over as CEO in 1967 and in 1976 the company adopted the RaceTrac brand. Now, Carl Bolch Jr.’s daughter Natlie Morhous is CEO of the company.
- Morehous was CSP’s 2023 Retail Leader of the Year.
Atlanta-based RaceTrac has more than 580 locations inAlabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Indiana, South Carolina and Tennessee.
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