CITGO Marketer Folk Oil Raises Thousands for Local Michigan Food Bank Programs through Eighth Annual “Fight Hunger Give Hope” Campaign

May 12, 2017 10:05 AM ET
Jill Grant (left) of the Homer Elementary School Backpack Buddies Program receives a check from Dick Folk (middle) of Folk Oil Company and three employees (right) from the PS Food Mart of Homer, MI in light of funds raised during the 2017 Fight Hunger Give Hope campaign.

HOMER, Mich., May 12, 2017 /3BL Media/ - Folk Oil Company, a local CITGO Petroleum Corporation Marketer, and its PS Food Mart Stores, surpassed last year’s fundraising efforts yet again during its eighth annual “Fight Hunger Give Hope” campaign. Running from March 13 to March 26 and reaching an impressive total of $88,690, this annual fundraiser works to provide more than half a million meals through local food banks, pantries and backpack programs located in the same areas as PS Food Mart locations.

“We are thrilled that Folk Oil and its 26 PS Food Mart CITGO locations have had another successful year of fundraising through the annual ‘Fight Hunger Give Hope’ campaign,” said Holly Cavinder of the Food Bank of South Central Michigan. “Without these amazing contributions, we would not be able to continue fulfilling our mission of building and sustaining a community that makes grocery products available to all people.”

Customers at PS Food Mart Stores in Albion, Battle Creek, Coldwater, Concord, Clayton, Dundee, Hillsdale, Homer Jackson, Marshall, Monroe, Perry, Reading, Spring Arbor, Whitmore Lake, Williamston, and Union City were asked to “tear a square” and make a $1 or $5 donation to the “Fight Hunger Give Hope” campaign. The money raised in these locations was donated to more than 35 local food pantries and backpack programs serviced by the Food Bank of South Central Michigan and other regional food banks.

“We are so proud to have completed the eighth year of the ‘Fight Hunger Give Hope’ campaign,” said Vice President of Folk Oil, Jim Linton. “Together with the continued support of CITGO, our business partners, our employees and our customers, we have been able to make an impact on families who are food insecure in our communities, and we will continue working toward our goal of ending hunger locally here in Michigan.” 

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, in 2015 12.7 percent of American households were food insecure at some point during the year, meaning they lacked access to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. Local food banks like the Food Bank of South Central Michigan make a meaningful impact on more than 189,300 individuals in need across the state annually. PS Food Mart and Folk Oil‘s contribution to the Food Bank of South Central Michigan continues to play a crucial role in helping to alleviate hunger for the families served by the food bank in all 83 counties.

To learn more about this initiative or how you can help the Food Bank of South Central Michigan, visit http://psfoodmart.com/ps-charities  or http://www.foodbankofscm.org/. For more about how CITGO and its Marketers and Retailers are giving back to their local communities, visit www.fuelinggood.com

About PS Food Mart
PS Food Mart Charities is supported in its efforts by CITGO Petroleum Corporation, which participates in a wide variety of local charity and community programs. For more information about PS Food Mart and Folk Oil programs that support the local community and to find the closest PS Food Mart Store near you, visit www.PSFoodMart.com.   

About CITGO
CITGO is committed to giving back to the local communities it serves through its network of locally owned locations. CITGO Marketers and Retailers in Michigan own and operate more than 300 CITGO locations and are proud to support their communities. For more information on the positive impact generated by CITGO in local communities and classrooms, visit www.fuelinggood.com.