SAVANNAH, Ga. (Oct. 27, 2023) – Parker’s Kitchen — an award-winning convenience store and food service company — recently held its 11th Annual Fueling the Community Charity Golf Tournament at The Landings in Savannah, Ga., raising a record $328,000 to support public and private schools in the communities the company serves throughout Georgia and South Carolina.
On Oct. 23, more than 270 golfers teed off on the Magnolia and Marshwood championship courses at The Landings for the popular scramble-format tournament. In 2022, Parker’s Kitchen expanded the tournament’s field of play across two courses to meet the overwhelming popularity of the charity event, which has sold out every year since its inception.
“This year’s Fueling the Community Charity Golf Tournament was truly one for the record books,” said Parker’s founder and CEO Greg Parker. “We’re thrilled to raise more than $325,000 for local schools in communities throughout our corporate footprint and to support education. Giving back to the community truly is part of our DNA as a company.”
The Fueling the Community charitable 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. Since the program’s inception in 2011, the company has graciously given more than $2 million to area schools. Throughout the Fall of 2023, Parker’s Kitchen is donating $380,000 to public and private schools in Georgia and South Carolina.
In addition to golf, the 2023 Fueling the Community Charity Golf Tournament featured a catered breakfast and lunch, live music, raffle drawings and an awards ceremony. The Garden State Tile team — which included Eric Fischer, Christopher Fischer, Stephen Fischer and Derek Ausherman — earned top honors at the golf tournament. The Congo Brands team claimed second place, and the Titan Cloud/Valero/SRP team took home third place honors.
Individual contest winners were also recognized at the Parker’s Kitchen Fueling the Community Charity Golf Tournament awards ceremony. Brian Smith won the tournament-wide Putting Contest. Ryan Wilson dominated the Longest Drive Contest. Kevin Wilson earned the Closest to the Pin title.
“We would like to thank all our sponsors and everyone who came out to play for a great cause,” said Parker’s Kitchen President Brandon Hofmann. “At Parker’s Kitchen, we believe in the power of education and know the money raised from this event will have a transformative impact on communities across the region.”
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, the company made a record $5 million donation to provide healthcare to uninsured and underinsured patients at Roper/St. Francis Healthcare in Charleston, S.C. as well as a landmark $1 million donation to support America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia in Savannah, Ga.
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.
Parker’s Kitchen 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., the company 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.
Recently, Parker’s Kitchen was recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in South Carolina in an independent survey conducted by SC Biz. 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 Kitchen 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.
For more information about Parker’s Fueling the Community program and the company’s commitment to charitable giving, visit parkerskitchen.com.
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. Learn more: parkerskitchen.com.
