Kum & Go is celebrating its ninth year of partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Since 2014, Kum & Go and Habitat have worked together to build strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter in communities across the U.S.

“Kum & Go is proud to support the affordable housing and financial education services provided by Habitat for Humanity. Through associate and customer engagement, we not only raise an incredible amount of money to support these programs, but also raise awareness about the need that continues to grow across our country,” said Emily Bahnsen, community investment manager at Kum & Go.

Kum & Go’s annual Donate Change to Make a Change in-store campaign, which takes place each year in February in its more than 400 store locations, engages store associates and encourages customers to donate to Habitat at checkout. Kum & Go’s
Buy Water & Build Homes initiative also takes place in February, where 10 cents from every 20-ounce K&G bottle of water purchased is donated to Habitat.

This year, the in-store campaign and water bottle initiative raised more than $360,000. With its corporate contribution, over $611,000 in total was donated to Habitat this year.

Funds from donations are distributed to 15 Habitat affiliates in locations where Kum & Go operates, and support efforts to build decent, affordable housing in local communities.

Kum & Go also recently sponsored two new home builds, one in Grand Rapids, Mich. and another in Salt Lake City, Utah, where they will be opening stores later this year. These builds are the eighth and ninth homes Kum & Go has sponsored over the course of its partnership with Habitat.

“We are thrilled to celebrate another year of partnership with Kum & Go,” said Julie Laird Davis, vice president of corporate and cause marketing partnerships at Habitat for Humanity International. “We are so grateful to have their associates and customers support our work to create lasting change in the communities they work and live through safe, decent and affordable housing.”

Over the past nine years, Kum & Go has raised more than $5 million for Habitat for Humanity and has sponsored home builds with local Habitat affiliates in North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah and Michigan.

Established in Hampton, Iowa, in 1959, Kum & Go is a fourth-generation, family-owned convenience store chain. Kum & Go plans to hire over 5,000 associates across all locations this year, adding 176 food positions as it expands its brand and food program in the Des Moines, Iowa, market.