Fuel Brands Step Up to Serve Their Communities

June 19, 2020

When it comes to supporting the communities they serve, our oil partners who supply and market the gasoline and diesel fuel that keep us going are accustomed to stepping up to the plate.

A History of Helping

Take ARCO and BP, for example. Both have a deep history of supporting charitable causes.

ARCO established a reputation as a supporter of major cultural organizations, as well as a number of environmental and community causes. In more recent history,  ARCO has partnered with Goodwill of Southern California to raise awareness of Goodwill’s community work and sponsor fundraising events in support of their mission.

BP has a long-standing 150-year relationship with Aberdeen, the UK’s largest social care charity. Since the charity’s inception, BP has been a staunch supporter through both wartime and medical crises like the Spanish flu.

COVID-19 Contributions

Partner contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic have been truly impressive:

BP:

• Donated 3 million gallons of jet fuel for delivery of personal protective equipment (PPE) throughout the US and for food and medical supply delivery to remote  areas of Alaska.¹
• Offered fuel discounts at its stations and free coffee and snacks to first responders, emergency service workers, and hospital staff at its stations.²
• Contributed to the World Health Organization (WHO) with a BP Foundation donation of $2 million USD to the WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. The Fund supports medical professionals and patients worldwide, providing critical aid and supplies. It also helps to track and understand the spread of the virus and supports efforts to develop tests, treatments and, ultimately, a vaccine.³

Marathon – parent company of the ARCO brand:

• Starting the week of March 23, Marathon Petroleum deployed its entire stock of personal protective equipment (PPE) to hospitals, healthcare organizations, and its own facilities across the country. Over 570,000 N95 respirator masks have been delivered to 46 hospitals and healthcare organizations in 20 states.⁴
• The Marathon Petroleum Foundation donated $1 million to the American Red Cross to help fund the relief organization’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including providing food and shelter to those affected by the economic impact of the pandemic, while implementing protocols to ensure the safety of employees, volunteers, and the clients they serve.5

NACS Retailers Get Into the Act

For some of us, a convenience store is just that – a convenient place to fuel up and grab a snack while we’re on the road.

But for many folks in small towns across the country, the c-store is in fact an essential business, functioning as fuel supplier, restaurant, grocery store, sundry supplier, and more. In the COVID-19 environment, store operators and staff have seen their role in the community expand and become critical to community well-being. In the words of NACS Chair and Casey’s Senior Vice President Julie Jackowski, “They’ve really had to become frontline folks helping us to stay open, helping us to better serve our guests.”6

Retailers like Casey’s have taken their cue from restaurants and other establishments, finding creative ways to serve their customer base while practicing contact-free transactions under social distancing guidelines.

Casey’s, for example, started a new delivery program earlier this year through a partnership with DoorDash. This forward-thinking move paid off. When stay-home orders began to kick in, Casey’s was ready. The midwestern chain has also
introduced other low- or no-contact purchase options like online ordering with curbside pickup and low-contact checkout using pay apps like Apple Pay or Google Pay. 

Employee Appreciation

Jackowski is not the only c-store executive to recognize the critical role her team plays in these times. NACS members all over the country are recognizing and rewarding their operators and frontline employees for a job well done.  Tim Griffith, President of Speedway LLC recently announced bonus payments for general managers and a $2 hourly pay increase for front-line staff across the company, covering maintenance technicians, transport drivers, and hourly store workers. Says Griffith, “Our employees continue to go above and beyond in these challenging times, and Speedway is committed to taking care of those who are taking care of our customers.”7

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1 Source: https://www.bp.com/en_us/united-states/home/products-and-services/our-rewards/supporting-our-local-heroes.html

2 Source: https://www.bp.com/en_us/united-states/home/news/press-releases/bp-donates-jet-fuel-to-covid-19-us-relief-efforts.html

3 Source: https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/news-and-insights/press-releases/bp-foundation-donates-to-covid19-solidarity-response-fund.html

4 Source: https://www.marathonpetroleum.com/Responsibility/COVID19/

5 Source: https://www.marathonpetroleum.com/Responsibility/COVID19/

6 “At Casey’s, Connecting With Teams Is
Crucial,” April 29, 2020. https://www.convenience.org/Media/Daily/2020/Apr/29/5-Caseys-Connecting-Teams-Is-Crucial_Operations. Accessed April 29, 2020.

7 “Speedway increases pay, gives bonuses
to employees during pandemic,” March 27, 2020. https://dayton247mow.com/news/coronavirus/speedway-increases-pay-gives-bonuses-to-employees-during-pandemic. Accessed April 29, 2020.