Sheetz’s Employee-Run Charity Gets a New Name

ALTOONA, Pa. — Sheetz Inc. changed the name of its employee-run, nonprofit charity from Sheetz Family Charities to Sheetz for the Kidz. The convenience store retailer said the new name more accurately reflects the charity's mission to provide support, hope, joy and happiness to children in need in the communities where Sheetz operates.

The rename comes after 23 years of making the holiday season brighter for children in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina.

In December, the charity conducted a successful in-store collection campaign that raised more than $516,000 to benefit nearly 4,000 children in need across the six states.

Throughout 2015, the charity raised more than $1.2 million and impacted more than 8,520 children.

"Thanks to loyal Sheetz customers, we continue to make an impact in our local communities," said Sheetz for the Kidz Executive Director Sarah Piper.

Customers can get involved through in-store fundraising campaigns, donating on the website www.sheetzforthekidz.org, and selecting Sheetz for the Kidz when shopping on Amazon Smile. While shopping at Sheetz stores, they can also purchase Sheetz for the Kidz Water and for a limited time only, Sheetz will offer a Sheetz for the Kidz Cookie benefiting the charity.

The company's charitable tradition dates back to 1992 when Sheetz employees Dan McMahon and Charlie Campbell created a way to give children in need the opportunity to celebrate the holidays with new clothes, toys and other basic needs. Since then, the program has partnered with the Salvation Army to provide holiday experiences to children, and with Make-A-Wish to sponsor families of seriously ill children to experience a weeklong dream vacation in Orlando, Fla. In 2015, 48 families were granted their wish.

Since its creation, total charity donations by the nonprofit have reached $21.6 million.