The Town Pump Charitable Foundation is running its Meals for Backpacks program again this year. The program “seeks to fulfill our mission by providing funding for backpack feeding programs in Montana primary, middle and secondary schools.” Generally, a backpack will include enough food to replace the meals a child would receive at school (for example, two breakfast options, two lunch options, a can of fruit and a can of vegetables, shelf stable milk or juice).
Town Pump says that it is 65 hours from the time school is dismissed on Friday afternoon until the bell rings on Monday morning. Often, children in Montana go hungry on the weekends. It is estimated that one in six Montana children live in homes that struggle to keep food on the table.
The Meals for Backpacks program seeks to fulfill its mission by providing funding for backpack feeding programs in Montana primary, middle and secondary schools.
In 2023, the Town Pump Charitable Foundation’s Meals for Backpacks program provided grants in 93 Montana communities totaling over $550,000 to schools, food banks, food pantries and other community organizations that provide weekend meal programs to Montana students.
Since the inception of the Meals for Backpacks program in 2016, the Town Pump Charitable Foundation has provided $3.6 million in financial assistance for weekend meal programs.
Mirabito Convenience Stores launched its Cups for a Cause initiative. The program is “designed to support local charities and community organizations by donating unused paper cups. As part of our ongoing commitment to giving back, we’re offering essential support to charities and organizations hosting events and programs in our local communities.”
The retailer is donating its unused Mirabito Convenience Store paper cups to help alleviate the cost burden on charities and community groups that rely on such essentials for their events and outreach efforts.
“As we prepare to introduce an exciting, newly rebranded Mirabito Convenience Store to-go beverage cup this fall, we’re ensuring our current supply of unused cups doesn’t go to waste. In line with our commitment to sustainability, we’re taking this opportunity to donate and recycle responsibly by extending a helping hand to local organizations in need,” the retailer said in the press release.
Citgo Lemont Refinery held its 28th annual Driving for a Cure Golf Outing with the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) at Cog Hill Golf and Country Club in August. This year's outing “was a record-breaking year, with $904,075 raised to support MDA's mission of empowering the people they serve to live longer, more independent lives.”
Citgo says the Driving for a Cure Golf Outing had the support of 130 companies in attendance with a total of 416 golfers out on all four courses at Cog Hill. Since its inception, the annual Driving for a Cure Golf Outing alone has raised more than $9.2 million for MDA.
"We're extremely grateful for the support and generosity of Citgo employees, marketers, retailers, vendors and contractors. The passion that people have for our MDA partnership is truly inspiring," said Jim Cristman, vice president and general manager at Citgo Lemont Refinery.
Funds raised through the Citgo and MDA partnership events “contribute to the funding of critical research, facilitate innovative clinical trials and gather the necessary resources to accelerate the development of revolutionary treatments for Muscular Dystrophy.”