As another school year gets underway, Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) employees continued their commitment to helping students and teachers succeed by donating, volunteering and supporting local organizations in the communities where we live and work. Read about these efforts from some of our locations.

Anacortes, Washington

The Anacortes refinery's annual Stuff the Truck Food and Funds drive supported the Helping Hands Food Bank's Cutting Hunger on the Weekends (C.H.O.W.) program. The C.H.O.W. program is crucial in providing weekend food to children in need. Employees, supportive business contacts, the Contractor Safety Council, MPC’s midstream affiliate MPLX, and many generous truck drivers, contributed $21,000 and donated a remarkable 950 pounds of food. The refinery’s Accounting and Supply Chain teams delivered all the food in four SUVs and volunteered to pack C.H.O.W. weekend bags at the Helping Hands Food Bank.

Catlettsburg, Kentucky

Employees and contractors from the Catlettsburg refinery came together to fill more than 50 backpacks as part of the Pack-a-Backpack campaign, led by the refinery’s Supply Chain team. Each backpack was packed with essential school supplies, along with shoes, undergarments, socks and clothing to help kids start the school year off right. Their support made a real difference, giving students not only what they needed but also a boost of confidence and excitement for the year ahead.

Detroit, Michigan

The Detroit refinery hosted its annual Fueling Detroit: Back to School Blitz at Kemeny Recreation Center. More than 500 residents attended and enjoyed access to free school supplies, food, resources, carnival rides and game trucks. Event sponsors distributed 75 pairs of youth shoes and raffled off 15 laptops. Hair stylists gave countless haircuts and hairstyles to kids, and school administrators received facials from local estheticians.

Findlay, Ohio

The Human Resources team and the ARISE Women’s Employee Network at our Findlay campus collaborated to collect new backpacks and school supplies for children served by Hope House and Open Arms. 

Galveston Bay, Texas

It was another big year for the Galveston Bay refinery’s “Stuff the Bus” campaign, which once again exceeded its fundraising goal. The team raised more than $15,000 to purchase, sort and distribute school supplies to students in the Texas City Independent School District. Over the past three years, refinery employees and contractors have collectively contributed nearly $45,000 through this annual effort to support local schools.

Garyville, Louisiana

Just before the school year started, the team from our Garyville refinery once again came together for their annual school supply drive, handing out backpacks, school supplies, and hygiene kits to 900 students in St. John the Baptist Parish. This long-standing tradition is one that employees and contractors look forward to every year as they support local students and schools in their community.

In neighboring Ascension Parish, Central Primary School recognized our Marathon Pipe Line (MPL) team, also based in Garyville, with a Certificate of Recognition from the local school board for its support ahead of the new school year. MPL donated $2,000 to help fund math manipulative materials for students.

Martinez, California

The Martinez Renewables facility teamed up with Pledge to Humanity to donate 250 backpacks to students in Concord, California. Students at Meadow Homes Elementary School received a brand-new backpack in time for the first day of school. Employees also assembled backpacks with school supplies. They assembled 250 backpacks for the Ambrose Parks and Recreation Center to give to students in the Bay Point community.

Salt Lake City, Utah

The Salt Lake City refinery provided bicycle helmets and car seats for distribution at the Junior League of Salt Lake City’s Community Assistance and Resource Event (CARE) Fair.  The annual event provides health and wellness services to families in need and served about 1,200 attendees this year. A group of eight refinery employee volunteers helped children try on helmets and assisted parents with car seat installation.

St. Paul Park, Minnesota

This year, the St. Paul Park refinery partnered with Friends In Need Food Shelf for its annual back-to-school event. Employee volunteers packed hundreds of backpacks with school supplies, and the refinery also collected donations on site and filled several large boxes. The backpacks and supplies were distributed to students from local schools to help them get ready for the new school year.

Western Oklahoma

MPLX Western Oklahoma employees Jeremy Cantrell and Jennifer Hagerman presented a $17,000 grant check to Western Oklahoma Family Care Center to support Project Backpack and the Community Christmas Dinner. Project Backpack provided new backpacks and school supplies to over 350 pre-K through 6th grade students in Beckham, Washita, and Roger Mills Counties.