Community Service Spotlight: Casey's General Stores, CITGO & Nassau Candy

Casey's General Stores Inc.

Casey's General Stores Inc. held its annual Cash for Classrooms campaign to support education throughout the chain's multistate footprint. 

Through Sept. 3, Casey's guests were able to round up their purchases at the register or make donations when ordering online to benefit the grant program, which helps fund grants for K-12 public and nonprofit, private schools.

"Casey's is here to make a positive impact in our communities and for guests who visit our stores every day," said Katie Petru, director of communications and community at Casey's. "Guests can round up their purchases every time they shop at Casey's, which means getting your favorite pizza, daily fountain drink or on-the-go snack is an opportunity to give back."

Due to support from customers and supplier partners like LIFEWTR, Casey's has raised more than $4 million for students and educators. Each year, Casey's awards grants up to $50,000 to schools, and since 2020, more than 300 schools across its 17-state footprint have benefited from the program. In 2024, 60 grants were distributed to K-12 public and nonprofit, private schools.

The Cash for Classrooms grant application for the 2024-2025 school year will open in October. 

CITGO Petroleum Corp.

In response to the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl, CITGO Petroleum Corp. donated $100,000 to support local disaster relief efforts being conducted by organizations in Houston. The storm hit resulted in widespread destruction, with more than 1 million homes and businesses losing power.

"Our community took a direct hit from Beryl and affected millions of people, some of whom are still suffering weeks after the storm," said CITGO President and CEO Carlos Jordá. "These three organizations are at the forefront of the recovery efforts and together we are committed to helping our neighbors in their time of greatest need."

The company broke down its contributions to three nonprofits: $50,000 to Houston Food Bank (HFB), $25,000 to Catholic Charities and $25,000 to Team Rubicon.

[Read more: CITGO to Pilot Enhanced Loyalty Program]

The funds to HFB helped distribute ice, water, fruit and ready-to-eat meals to HFB's network of community partners, including cooling centers and shelters, while Catholic Charities, in collaboration with TeamCITGO volunteers, used the donation to support a drive-thru disaster distribution event on July 20 at its headquarters. During this event, food, water and cleaning supplies were handed out to individuals and families affected by the storm. 

Team Rubicon used the funds to support its Grayshirt disaster response volunteers who tarped roofs, cleared access to homes and critical infrastructure, and mucked out houses damaged by the hurricane.

Nassau Candy

The Stier family, founders of Nassau Candy, were honored at the Sunrise Association's 18th Annual Mildred & Samuel Levine Memorial Golf Classic. 

The recognition stems from the family's support of the association's Sunrise Day Camp — Long Island in New York, a free camp for children with cancer and their siblings. Les and Shirley Stier, their sons and their wives, Lance and Rachel, Garrett and Samantha, Travis and Allison, and Spencer and Blake, received the honor.

"As a family-run business, family is at the heart of everything we do," said Les Stier, founder and CEO of Nassau Candy. "That's why Sunrise Day Camp … and their mission to help bring joy to the lives of children with cancer and their families is so important to us. We and Nassau Candy are honored to be recognized for our support of this wonderful organization."

Nassau Candy and the Stier family are continuing to raise money on behalf of the camp and are close to their goal of $1.2 million for the organization.

The Sunrise Association aims to bring joy to the lives of children with cancer and their siblings through their day camps, in-hospital programs and year-round events.  

Nittany MinitMart

Throughout the spring and into June, Nittany MinitMart ran its fifth annual Fuel the Cause fundraiser to  local volunteer fire companies across Central and Northern Pennsylvania. 

"We just want this fundraiser to keep growing," said Nicole Masullo, division manager at Nittany MinitMart. "Every year, we put more time into planning, getting sponsorships, and doing everything we can to get the word out there."

Overall, the c-store retailer raised $176,934.02, beating last year's record total by more than $25,000. 

Since the start of the fundraiser in 2019, Nittany MinitMart has raised more than half a million dollars for 38 different fire companies by contributing 1 cent per gallon of gas sold or via store visitors who rounded up their purchases at checkout. The Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo Inc., Jack Links, Utz Brands, McAneny Foods and Red Bull also sponsored the fundraiser.

Additionally, this year Nittany MinitMart petitioned the governor's office to recognize volunteer fire companies and bring more attention to their cause. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro subsequently proclaimed April 14-20, 2024 Volunteer Firefighter Recognition Week, shining a spotlight on the importance of volunteer firefighters across the state.

Stewart's Shops

The American Red Cross of Eastern New York and Stewart's Shops ninth annual Give a Pint, Get a Pint program collected enough blood donations to help nearly 27,600 patients.

[Read more: Stewart's Shops Brings Southern Flavor to Menu]

Stewart's teamed up with the Red Cross throughout the month of June by donating a gift certificate for a prepackaged pint of Stewart's ice cream or gelato for every Red Cross donor in participating communities across upstate New York. The campaign garnered 812 first-time donors.

According to the Red Cross, blood donations are needed approximately every two seconds to help patients undergoing treatment for cancer, as well as those recovering from accidents, burns, heart surgery and organ transplants.