CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Circle K, the global convenience store chain, announced today a pledge to donate 25 million meals to Feeding America® in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting April 10th, for every fuel transaction made at a Circle K, one meal* will be donated to a local member food bank of the Feeding America network, the nation’s largest hunger relief organization.
“During these unprecedented times, Circle K is committed to being part of the solution in the communities where we work and live. We know many of the families we serve have been impacted and challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Brian Hannasch, President and CEO of Circle K. “Our mission as a company has always been to make our customers’ lives a little easier every day, and we know the best way to get through these difficult days is to band together and support each other.”
Circle K’s customers, including essential workers that are on the frontlines supporting their communities, are continuing to rely on the convenience store chain for emergency items, food, coffee and fuel as they commute to and from their places of business. As the unemployment rate is climbing and more Americans are turning to food banks for nourishing food and other basic essentials, Circle K is committed to doing its part and lending a hand. Through the Feeding America network of food banks, pantries and meal programs, Circle K can help the organization support the one in nine Americans currently faced with hunger.
“We are incredibly thankful to Circle K for its generous donation to the Feeding America network. Food banks across the country are on the ground addressing the growing need in their communities. Circle K’s support will help to ensure that our neighbors in need do not have to worry about food during this unprecedented time,” said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America.
The pledge to Feeding America is the most recent way Circle K is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier in March, the company began offering free coffee, tea and Polar Pop to healthcare workers and first responders, as well as its own frontline store team members across its network of participating service stations and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
Other support measures from the brand featured an emergency appreciation pay increase of $2.50 per hour to Circle K hourly store employees, the addition of operational safety measures including clear barriers at the register, increased access to sanitizing solutions and social distancing markers, among others, as well as the implementation of an Emergency Sick Care plan to support and protect hourly employees in the event of a COVID-19 diagnosis or mandatory quarantine. At all times, the health and safety of the company’s employees and customers is its absolute key priority.
Additional information and details about the program to support Feeding America are available online at https://www.circlek.com/feedingamerica, or on Circle K’s social media channels on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
* $1 helps to provide at least ten meals secured by Feeding America® on behalf of local member food banks.
About Circle K:
Circle K is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alimentation Couche-Tard (“Couche-Tard”). Couche-Tard is the leader in the Canadian convenience store industry. In the United States, it is the largest independent convenience store operator in terms of the number of company-operated stores. In Europe, Couche-Tard is a leader in convenience store and road transportation fuel retail in the Scandinavian countries (Norway, Sweden and Denmark), in the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), as well as in Ireland, and has an important presence in Poland.
In addition, under licensing agreements, approximately 2,280 stores are operated under the Circle K banner in 15 other countries and territories (Cambodia, China, , Egypt, Guam, Honduras, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Jamaica, Macau, Mexico, Mongolia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam), which brings the worldwide total network to more than 14,800 stores.
For more information on Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. or to consult its quarterly Consolidated Financial Statements and Management Discussion and Analysis, please visit: https://corpo.couche‑tard.com.
About Feeding America:
Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, we provide meals to more than 40 million people each year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
