QuikTrip Enters Multiyear Pact With Kansas City Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — QuikTrip Corp. and the Kansas City Royals entered into a multiyear partnership in which the convenience retailer will become the official jersey patch partner of the Major League Baseball (MLB) team.

Together, the organizations will place an emphasis on community investment and youth literacy at the forefront of their alignment via a first-of-its-kind partnership, according to the entities.

"When we expanded outside of Oklahoma, QuikTrip's first stop was Kansas City back in the 1960s," said QuikTrip Community Relations Manager Lauren Sherry. "We have been a proud member of the Kansas City community for decades, and we are excited to partner with the Royals to generate a meaningful, long-lasting impact on the communities where our employees and customers live and grow. We are eager to see the impact of this unique partnership and its ability to move the needle on youth literacy in this community."

Literacy is a key pillar of the Kansas City Royals Foundation's mission, while at-risk youth and early childhood education have been long-term priorities for QuikTrip.

The partnership is aimed at meeting an urgent Kansas City need. According to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, only 21% of third graders in the city's public school district and charter schools read at grade level. That metric can often serve as an early warning sign for struggling students, with the Regional Educational Laboratory Program reporting one in six students who can't read proficiently by third grade do not graduate high school on time.

This partnership will incorporate the launch of "Hit the Books," a program focused on improving literacy rates across the Kansas City community, alongside a significant commitment to Kansas City Public Schools, a donation for every Royals hit this season and other initiatives.

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Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Tulsa, QuikTrip operates more than 1,000 stores across 17 states and employs more than 31,000 associates. Since its founding, the company has invested net five percent of its profits back into the communities it serves.