From sponsoring youth sports teams to conducting food drives, convenience stores strengthen the communities they serve, contributing more than $1 billion a year to charitable and community groups.

There are lots of ways to connect with local communities, and by taking stock of their customers, retailers have found creative ways to give back. Here are a few recent events that have brought communities together.

OnCue announced its partnership with Positive Tomorrows in its mission to create a better future for children and families experiencing homelessness.

From January to March of this year, OnCue’s charitable cup program raised $15,000 for Positive Tomorrows. To mark this achievement, the OnCue team spent a morning volunteering at the school, engaging with students over breakfast and sharing in outdoor playtime.

In Onawa, Iowa, Cubby’s supported the Whiting and West Monona/Onawa prom committees with a donation to support the post-prom festivities. Cubby’s donated 1% of all indoor sales at the Onawa store in January and February to the schools.

“This donation is possible because of the support from the Onawa community,” said De Lone Wilson, president of Cubby’s. “We are committed to giving back and we love when we can support schools in the communities we serve.”

Mirabito Convenience Stores announced its results from a recent round-up campaign for the Honor Flight Network. The effort raised $78,000 raised during the month of March. Through Mirabito’s round-up initiative, customers were given the opportunity to contribute to the cause by rounding up their convenience store purchases during the month of March. In addition, Mirabito made its own donations to support the campaign.

By partnering with Honor Flight Syracuse and Twin Tiers Honor Flight, Mirabito was able to directly support local veterans by providing them with the opportunity to visit the memorials dedicated to their service in the nation’s capital.

The Town Pump Charitable Foundation announced that 116 libraries in 105 Montana communities were awarded Keep Kids Reading grants in the amount of $1,000 each to support their 2024 summer reading programs.

“The Town Pump Charitable Foundation appreciates the critical role libraries play in our Montana communities,” said Bill McGladdery, director of corporate communications for Town Pump. “Many Montana libraries increase youth-reading programs in the summer months to help prevent the ‘summer slide’ and help children maintain or improve their spelling, vocabulary and comprehension skills.”