CHARLESTON, S.C. (Sept. 12, 2023) – Parker’s Kitchen — an award-winning convenience store and food service company with locations across coastal Georgia and South Carolina — recently donated $135,000 through a round-up campaign to support the Lowcountry Food Bank, a nonprofit organization providing food to more than 200,000 food-insecure individuals across 10 counties in coastal South Carolina every year.
In honor of Hunger Action Month in September, Parker’s Community Outreach Manager Olivia Parker presented a check to Lowcountry Food Bank President and CEO Nick Osborne at the nonprofit’s annual Walk to Fight Hunger event at Wannamaker Park in North Charleston, S.C. Parker’s Kitchen served as the presenting sponsor of the family-friendly event, which helps raise awareness about food insecurity.
The donation is part of a recent Parker’s Kitchen round-up campaign, which encouraged customers to round up their purchases to the nearest dollar, with the company matching 25% of customer donations to maximize the campaign’s impact.
Since Parker’s Kitchen launched its inaugural round-up campaign in May 2022, the company has raised more than $648,000 to fight hunger in Georgia and South Carolina. All round-up proceeds are donated to America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia and Lowcountry Food Bank in South Carolina.
“At Parker’s Kitchen, we believe in giving back and serving as community partners,” Olivia Parker explained before presenting a $135,000 check to Lowcountry Food Bank. “Our goal is to provide two million meals for hungry children this year and to help reduce food insecurity throughout our community. We hope this donation will make a positive impact across the area.”
Founded in 1983, Lowcountry Food Bank is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary and has grown from a local clearinghouse for donated food items to one of the most successful food banks in America. In 2022, Lowcountry Food Bank distributed 39.7 million pounds of food and made a lasting impact on the lives of food-insecure children, adults, veterans and seniors across 10 coastal South Carolina counties.
Known for its longstanding commitment to charitable giving, Parker’s is one of the most generous companies in the convenience store industry and in the Southeast. Earlier this year, Parker’s Kitchen made a landmark $5 million donation to provide healthcare to uninsured and underinsured patients at Roper/St. Francis Healthcare in Charleston, S.C. through the Parker’s Community Fund.
Parker’s also endowed the Parker’s Emergency and Trauma Center at Memorial Hospital in Savannah, Ga. and made a record $5 million donation to name the Parker College of Business at Georgia Southern University, supporting the next generation of business leaders in Georgia. The Parker’s Community Fund, which was created in 2021 by a major donation from Parker’s founder and CEO Greg Parker, also provided critical funding for Union Mission to open the Parker House for Women in Savannah, Ga., the region’s first facility for unaccompanied homeless women.
In addition, the company’s acclaimed Fueling the Community charitable giving initiative donates a percentage of gas sold at all Parker’s and Parker’s Kitchen locations on the first Wednesday of each month to area schools. Parker’s has donated more than $1.8 million to area schools since the inception of the Fueling Community program in 2011.
Parker’s stands apart as one of America’s most respected convenience store brands and is known for having the cleanest stores in the industry. Headquartered in Savannah, Ga., Parker’s has enjoyed robust 20 to 24 percent annual growth every year for the past 25 years and has been featured six times on the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. The company also offers an acclaimed Parker’s Rewards program, which saves customers time and money at the pump as well as in the store.
In 2020, Parker’s was named the Convenience Store Chain of the Year by Convenience Store Decisions, which is the industry’s highest honor. The company has been honored by Food and Wine as one of America’s Best Convenience Stores and by Convenience Store News as the Convenience Foodservice Leader of the Year.
Since its founding in 1976, Parker’s has grown to become an award-winning company that has been voted one of America’s top 10 gas station brands by USA TODAY readers. The Parker’s Rewards loyalty program, which includes more than 300,000 members, has saved customers more than $15 million to date. Parker’s employs more than 1,200 individuals throughout South Carolina and Georgia and completes more than 120,000 transactions daily.
ABOUT PARKER’S:
Honored as the 2020 Convenience Store Decisions Chain of the Year, Parker’s is strategically redefining the nation’s convenience store industry, offering customers high-quality products, freshly prepared food and superior customer service at retail stores throughout southeast Georgia and South Carolina. Headquartered in Savannah, Ga., Parker’s has a commitment to exceeding customer expectations and has repeatedly been recognized as one of the nation’s leading convenience store and foodservice companies. Parker’s Kitchen, the popular food-centric brand under the Parker’s umbrella, serves world-famous hand-breaded Southern Fried Chicken Tenders as well as made-from-scratch mac ‘n’ cheese, a breakfast bar and daily specials. The company’s popular Parker’s Rewards loyalty program, which includes more than 300,000 members, has saved Parker’s customers more than $15 million to date.
RECENT AWARDS AND ACCOLADES:
- Inc. 5000 List – Fastest Growing Companies in America – Inc. Magazine
- Best Places to Work in South Carolina – SC Biz
- Hall of Fame Inductee – Convenience Store News
- Best Gas Station Brand Top 10 – USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards
- Convenience Store Chain of the Year – Convenience Store Decisions
- Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award
- Legacy Leader – Georgia Trend
- America’s Best Convenience Stores – Food and Wine
- Southeast Retailer of the Year – The Shelby Report
- Convenience Foodservice Leader of the Year – Convenience Store News
- Top 10 U.S. Gas Station Brands – Gas Buddy
- 50 Most Influential People in Convenience Store History – Convenience Store News
- Best Convenience Store – Savannah Morning News Readers’ Choice Awards
- Best Convenience Store – Savannah Magazine Best of Savannah Awards
- Best Convenience Market/Gas Station – Connect Savannah Best of Savannah Awards
- Best Convenience Store – Statesboro Herald “Best in the ‘Boro” Awards
- Best Convenience Store – Bryan County Now “Best of Bryan” Awards
- Regional Economic Impact Award – Greater Bluffton Chamber of Commerce
- Best Convenience Store – Island Packet
- Most Fab Convenience Store – Effingham Herald
- Most Fabulous Gas Station – Effingham Living
- Wayne County’s Favorite Convenience Store – Jesup Press-Sentinel
ABOUT LOWCOUNTRY FOOD BANK:
The Lowcountry Food Bank serves more than 200,000 people experiencing food insecurity annually through strong relationships with 230+ partner agencies – a network of food pantries, on-site meal programs, school programs, senior programs, veterans’ groups and shelters. The nonprofit organization’s dedicated staff works to equitably distribute food across 10 coastal counties of South Carolina, from Charleston to Myrtle Beach, providing partners with fresh fruits and vegetables, shelf-stable food, equipment, nutrition materials and food safety training. Learn more: lowcountryfoodbank.org.
