Citgo Petroleum has named the Onslow Community Outreach Soup Kitchen one of its winners in the 2011 Summer Citgo Fueling Good program. In recognition of its ongoing efforts to provide meals and support for elderly and at-risk individuals across Onslow County, the organization has been awarded $5,000 in Citgo gift cards to help extend its Ripple of Good and the impact of its work.
“The Soup Kitchen started with one stove and a pot of soup more than 20 years ago, and it is the contributions from community partners like Citgo that have kept our organization thriving,” says Don Herring, chairman of the board of directors of Onslow Community Outreach. “While some of what we do is providing shelter and meals for those who come to us, most of our work is delivering meals and offering assistance to those who can’t access our location on their own. Knowing that the gas for our support vehicles is taken care of allows us to deliver more food and more personal service to the people who need it most.”
Since 1990, Onslow Community Outreach Soup Kitchen has been focused on providing underprivileged members of the community with the essentials that they lack – from food to shelter to medical assistance. The Soup Kitchen serves more than 93,000 meals every year, driving 32,000 miles annually to deploy soup kitchen trucks in impoverished areas. In addition, the organization provides emergency shelter for about 275 people each year and ensures that almost 400 people get the medical help they need.
Onslow Community Outreach Soup Kitchen is one of 12 Citgo Summer Fueling Good campaign winners selected from more than 1,100 charities through a nationwide online vote. More than 100,000 votes were cast to help identify the latest winners in one of four categories: environmental protection and restoration; education and social investment; energy assistance and conservation; and health and well-being.
Voting for the Fall 2011 Fueling Good program closes on Oct. 27, and the next 12 winners will be announced in November. Registration for the winter program begins Dec. 1, and all nonprofit organizations based in the 26 states and District of Columbia in which Citgo operates are invited to submit an entry at www.fuelinggood.com.
