Giving Back To Community Provides Win-Win Opportunities
By Angela Altass
There are numerous ways that businesses can give back to their communities. Contributing to the community can provide benefits to your business, including boosting employee morale, brand recognition, and building connections with customers as well as providing support to the neighbourhoods in which you operate.
When deciding which causes to support, David Soberman, Canadian national chair in strategic marketing, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, advises finding out what charities are important to your customers.
“That will give you useful guidance regarding which charities to support or which ones might be ideal to create a charity-based promotional event for,” says Soberman, who also advises some caution before proceeding with charitable endeavours. “Giving back to the community is important but convenience stores need to make sure they are making money first. The best thing any business can do is stay in business because it keeps people employed and customers happy. Once an operation is profitable, giving back is an excellent plan to build equity with the community.”
Convenience & Carwash Canada reached out to some businesses and organizations to find out how they give back to their communities and what it means to them to do so.
Petro-Canada: With more than 1,500 locations, Petro-Canada is part of communities across the country. Petro-Canada’s charitable focus is supporting the Petro-Canada CareMakers Foundation, which provides grants to local and national registered charities across Canada to help fund critical programs and resources for family caregivers. Since launching in November 2020, the foundation has awarded more than $10 million to organizations helping to enhance the lives of Canadian caregivers.
“Family caregiving can be a challenging role,” says Leila Fenc, executive director, Petro-Canada CareMakers Foundation. “Many are unexpectedly called on to provide critical support without any training. Nearly all Canadians can see themselves in this reality at some point in their lives; in fact, over eight million are currently navigating this experience. The Petro-Canada CareMakers Foundation was established with a goal to support family caregivers while inspiring a collective commitment to the cause throughout Canada. We are grateful for the support of Suncor, the owner of Petro-Canada, and many corporate and individual donors.”
Many Petro-Canada site operators/managers participate in CareMaker’s annual Strides for Caregivers national fundraising walk. Together, these Petro-Canada associates, their staff and Suncor employees have raised more than $300,000 through this event since it was first held in 2022.
Parkland Corporation describes community as one of its core values. In 2024, Parkland continued its annual employee giving program, Parkland Pledge, where Parkland provides all eligible full-time employees $250, which increases by $50 per year of employment to a maximum of $500, which is donated to causes that matter to them. More than 64 per cent of Parkland’s employees participated in the program and in total more than $1.8 million was donated to 2,145 organizations across Canada, the U.S.A. and the Caribbean.
In 2025, two of Parkland’s marquee areas of support are youth and Indigenous programs, partnering with Boys and Girls Club of Canada and Indspire. M&M Food began supporting Boys and Girls Club of Canada following the pandemic and since fall 2020 have raised over $450,000 in food, cash and gift card donations. This includes a $100,000 donation from Parkland’s Ultramar Foundation in 2024. Parkland’s corporate charitable donations can also include supporting a local sports complex, a health organization, a community event or assistance during a natural disaster.
The Canadian Carwash Association (CCA) runs an annual Car Wash for a Cure event in partnership with the Canadian Spinal Research Organization (CSRO). This year will be the third year for the event and is scheduled for May 9-10, aiming to raise funds to support spinal cord research and enhance community engagement across Canada.
During these two days, carwashes from coast to coast participate by hosting various activities that foster philanthropy and community spirit. Activities include encouraging customers to donate spare change, donating a portion of sales, organizing interactive fundraisers, promoting efforts on social media, and raising awareness about CSRO’s work in spinal cord research.
“It has long been my vision to bring Canadian carwashes and industry suppliers together for a common cause, one that promotes unity within our industry while raising awareness and support for an important issue,” says CCA President Karen Smith. “We’re proud to launch the third annual Canadian Car Wash event dedicated to raising funds for spinal cord injury research. This cause is especially close to our hearts as most spinal cord injuries result from motor vehicle accidents, making it a natural connection to our industry.”
Participation in the event is open to all Canadian carwashes and there is no registration fee.
National Convenience Store Week is an event in late August that started in Atlantic Canada 12 years ago and became national in 2019 when the Convenience Industry Council of Canada (CICC) was formed. Organizers were looking for a cause to dedicate efforts to raise money for and decided on the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where they could make a difference in the lives of critically ill children. More than one million dollars has been raised for the charity through this event.
“There is a natural linkage between children and convenience stores,” says Jeff Brownlee, vice president, communications and stakeholder relations, Convenience Industry Council of Canada. “Who doesn’t remember hopping on your bike as a child and heading to the local convenience store to get a chocolate bar and a drink?”
Giving back to the community is crucial and there are many benefits for convenience stores that participate in the week’s activities, says Brownlee.
“Community and convenience are synonymous,” says Brownlee. “When c-stores do well, communities do well. When c-stores suffer, it impacts communities. One thing that is unique to the industry is that here is a c-store in almost every community across Canada. As a result, we invite decision makers, municipal, provincial and federal, to visit one store in their community and talk with the workers as well as customers on the role stores play in supporting communities. The intent is that they get a better understanding of our industry.”
Suggestions for ways that convenience stores can participate include point of sale donations and rounds ups, donating an amount from drink purchases, hosting a barbecue or carwash event, coffee for a cause with a free drip coffee with every donation, or other promotions. Further information is available by emailing Jennifer.chang@makeawish.ca, Kaitlyn.weyersberg@makeawish.ca or info@convenienceindustry.ca.
“Over the last decade, the Convenience Industry Council of Canada has been there for children facing critical illness across the country and we are delighted to celebrate convenience week alongside them,” says Meaghan Stovel McKnight, CEO, Make-A-Wish Canada. “Thanks to the continued dedication of national partners like CICC and the 193,000 employees across 22,500 convenience stores, we can continue to provide wishes to kids and their families with hope and strength for the future. We are so grateful for their heartfelt commitment and investment in our cause.”
Rabba Fine Foods supports numerous initiatives through the Rabba Roots program.
“Giving back is a core part of who we are at Rabba Fine Foods,” says Rima Rabba, head of marketing, Rabba Fine Foods. “We proudly work with Food Banks Mississauga throughout the year, contributing essential food and household items to support families facing food insecurity. We also host an annual Super Bowl party at Good Shepherd Ministries in Toronto, providing a warm meal and festive atmosphere for individuals experiencing homelessness. It’s a small way to bring a sense of normalcy and joy to people who are going through very difficult times.”
Rabba Fine Foods also participates in local community events like The Hazel McCallion Walk for Health in Port Credit, Mississauga and supports the Trillium Health Partners Foundation.
“In addition, we regularly deliver coffee and lunch to frontline workers, from paramedics to hospital staff, who work tirelessly to keep our communities going,” says Rabba. “These gestures may be simple, but they mean a great deal to those receiving them.”
The company takes a grassroots approach when it comes to deciding ways to give back, says Rabba.
“Many of our initiatives come directly from conversations, whether with community partners, store staff, or customers,” says Rabba. “If someone brings an idea forward or we notice a need, we do what we can to help. Our Rabba Roots program gives us the flexibility to respond in real time. We don’t wait for large campaigns or big moments. If we can step in and make a difference, we do it, quietly, consistently and with heart. As a family-owned business that has grown up alongside the neighbourhoods we serve, we are giving back not as a corporate obligation but as a natural extension of who we are. We live and work in the same communities as our customers. That connection drives everything, from the way we run our stores to the way we show up for others. We’re not just here to do business, we’re here to be good neighbours. That’s something we’re proud of and committed to, year after year.”
7-Eleven Canada says it is always looking for opportunities to uplift Canadians and give back to communities. For the last 10 years, 7-Eleven Canada has partnered with Food Banks Canada to support local food banks and provide meals for people impacted by food insecurity. In 2025, initiatives like in-store fundraising have already raised over $70,000 to help Food Banks Canada. In 2024, proceeds from a Slurpee Name Your Price Day raised over $57,000 for the organization in just 24 hours.
7-Eleven Canada also seeks partnerships that help advance causes that reduce food waste. For example, since 2023, the company partnered with Too Good To Go, offering certain food items at a discount before they reach their best before dates. Since joining this program, over 250,000 meals have been diverted from landfills across Canada.
An Operation Chill program run by 7-Eleven provides law enforcement agencies with Slurpee coupons and colouring sheets. Police officers are encouraged to hand these out to children showing responsible behaviour like wearing a bike helmet, safely crossing the street, or being a respectful community member.
