Shows thanks to veterans during c-store opening.
Wawa Inc. celebrated the grand opening of its 500th fuel store, located at 8250 Limekiln Pike in Cheltenham, Pa. on Nov. 10.
The celebration included representatives from the Horsham, Pennsylvania, Air and Army National Guard; Liberty USO; Cheltenham Township and Pennsylvania state representatives; Cheltenham Fire and Police; local veterans and military members; Wawa associates and customers; and Wawa’s mascot, Wally Goose.
The event also included a charitable Hoagies for Heroes hoagie-building competition, as representatives from the Cheltenham Fire and Police and the Horsham Air and Army National Guard faced off in a battle of bravery, skill and sandwich-making expertise. Each team was challenged to see who could build the most hoagies in three minutes in the traditional Wawa way. Wawa presented checks on behalf of the winning and runner up teams, for $1,000 to the charities of their choice.
In addition to the fuel milestone and in honor of Veterans Day, which took place the next day, this historic celebration recognized the men and women of our armed forces with a special tribute to our country’s veterans and a charitable hoagie-building competition between members of the Horsham Air and Army Guard and the Cheltenham Fire and Police.
As part of the grand opening, Wawa offered free any-size coffee to all customers, all day at this location. In anticipation of Veterans Day, Wawa hosted a care package assembly station where members of the public could assemble a care package with Wawa coffee, goodies and, if they wished, write a handwritten letter of appreciation. All care packages will be shipped by the USO to deployed troops in time for the holidays.
“When we determined our 500th fuel store grand opening was happening the day before Veterans Day, we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than by paying tribute to the men and women who protect the freedoms we all enjoy,” said Brian Schaller, Wawa’s vice president of fuel. “Today we honor the associates and customers who have helped us achieve this milestone, as well as our heroes who make our communities and our country such a special place. It’s hard to believe in just 20 years we’ve grown to now include 500 Wawa stores offering quality fuel across six states. We are so honored to fuel our customers not only in the morning or afternoon with a cup of coffee and a sandwich, but to get them on their way by selling more gallons per site than anyone else in the United States and being a market share leader in every market we serve as reported by the Oil Price Information Service. We look forward to continuing to open more stores and to serve more customers than ever before!”
Since opening its first fuel store in 1996 in Millsboro, Delaware, Wawa has expanded to offer fuel at 500 out of its more than 730 stores across its six-state operating area of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Florida. Wawa sells diesel in over 400 of its fuel stores.
