ALEXANDRIA, Va. – “‘C-store’ doesn’t just stand for ‘convenience store’—it stands for ‘community store,’” was arguably the most quoted line from the 2017 NACS Show general session stage.

And NACS is doing something to help support retailers looking for new community-focused ideas. NACS published the online Community Toolkit to provide guidance, ideas and direction to retailers seeking to get more involved with the communities they serve, as well as how to tell their story to the media and customers.

From donation campaigns to disaster recovery efforts, convenience stores are America’s first supporters, usually the last to close and first to open in an emergency to help those in need. Convenience stores help fund youth activities, support local causes and support America’s heroes, collectively donating more than $1 billion to charities last year.

In in the new Convenience Matters podcast, “‘C-Store’ Stands for Community Store,” cohosts Jeff Lenard and Carolyn Schnare of NACS, build the business case for why community relations is important and share how NACS can help retailers tell their story in the community.

“There are so many opportunities for retailers to tell their story about what they do in the community and to benefit from community support of their efforts,” Lenard said.