El Paso Giving Day rallies community around nonprofits

Community News

El Paso, Texas, Foundation, Sustainability
A large group of people seated and waving pom-poms.
Representatives of nonprofit organizations across the El Paso area cheer during the Marathon matching fund award gathering in advance of El Paso Giving Day, which generated $2.3 million for area nonprofits. 
  • Thousands of residents and companies in El Paso, Texas, joined together to boost funding for nonprofit organizations across the city and the surrounding area.
  • The El Paso Giving Day campaign exceeded its fundraising goal by generating $2.3 million for organizations that serve causes from hunger relief to youth education.
  • Marathon Petroleum’s El Paso refinery helped spur broader contributions by providing matching funds for 10 different nonprofits.   

Whether it’s a corporate grant or $10 from a member of the public, Tracy Yellen knows that every donation is meaningful to charitable organizations striving to meet funding needs. 

“It’s about mobilizing large and small donors to make a collective impact,” said Yellen, CEO of the Paso del Norte Community Foundation, which managed the annual El Paso Giving Day campaign in October that garnered contributions from more than 8,600 donors. 

A man speaking at a podium.
MPC Principal Corporate Social Responsibility & Community Relations Representative V.J. Smith speaks to representatives of nonprofit organizations about MPC’s community support at the Marathon matching fund award gathering, which was held three days before El Paso Giving Day. 

The event raised $2.3 million, surpassing the campaign’s overall goal by about $200,000. The 264 area nonprofits that will benefit from these funds represent numerous causes, from hunger relief and hospice care to wildlife rescue and youth education.  
 
In addition to donations from the general public, the amount of corporate matching funds, which double a recipient’s raised funds, rose by about $300,000 from the year before. Yellen pointed to this increase as a primary reason for the fundraising success, highlighting support from Marathon Petroleum Corporation’s (MPC) El Paso refinery. 
 
“Marathon’s leadership in grantmaking was transformative,” Yellen said. “It inspired larger matching funds from other companies this year. Donors are more likely to give when matching funds are available, and matching funds help motivate nonprofits to promote the giving campaign.”  

Three people standing next to each other with a cardboard check.
(L to R) Les Davis, Vice President of Refining at MPC’s El Paso refinery, and MPC’s V.J. Smith with Alexsandra Annello, coordinator of the Paso del Norte Trail Fund, which received a matching funds grant from MPC’s El Paso refinery to aid completion of a county-wide, 68-mile trail to enhance outdoor recreational opportunities. 

The refinery’s grant included $75,000 in matching funds for 10 nonprofits, most of which focus on environmental preservation. An additional $7,500 went toward the Paso del Norte Community Foundation’s funding development training for 20 nonprofits and its summer student internship program.  

“Marathon’s leadership in grantmaking was transformative. It inspired larger matching funds from other companies this year.” 

“Our company maintains a steadfast commitment to environmental stewardship, so helping organizations that work to sustain ecosystems serves as an extension of how we operate,” said V.J. Smith, MPC Principal Corporate Social Responsibility & Community Relations Representative.  

Three people standing next to each other with a cardboard check.
(L to R) MPC’s Les Davis; Kathia Gonzalez, Development Director at the Frontera Land Alliance; and MPC’s V.J. Smith during the formal presentation of a matching funds grant to the Alliance, which manages more than 1,400 acres of land in nature preserves for community access.

Among the recipients of MPC’s matching funds is the Frontera Land Alliance, a land trust that manages over 1,400 acres of land in nature preserves for community access. 
 
“We are deeply grateful for the support by Marathon, whose commitment helps ensure that these and other open spaces remain protected, celebrated and accessible as a living legacy of conservation and cultural pride,” said Janaé Reneaud Field, Executive Director of the Frontera Land Alliance.