Holmes Oil Company Inc., operator of 26 Cruizers stores throughout central North Carolina and headquartered in Chapel Hill, N.C., is donating $5,000 to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Meals on Wheels (CHCMOW).
These funds will help the nonprofit deliver meals to food-insecure and home-bound members of the community.
“Meals on Wheels cares for some of our most vulnerable community members,” said Edward Holmes, president and chief executive officer of Holmes Oil. “Our corporate culture is wholeheartedly committed to giving back, and we’ve been proud to support them every year since 2017. With the devasting effects of the pandemic on our community, they need our support now more than ever.”
COVID-19 has forced the organization to change its normal operations for the safety of its volunteers, staff and recipients. In lieu of deliveries every Monday through Friday, volunteers now bring a week’s worth of food at one time to minimize physical contact. With less frequent home deliveries, the organization in incurring higher shipping costs on bulk items and having to purchase more expensive shelf-stable meals and frozen foods that will last for the week.
“To cover two weeks of delivery and prep cost us over twice as much money as we would have spent in that time frame,” said Rachel Bearman, executive director of CHCMOW.
Of Cruizers’ $5,000 donation, $4,500 was provided via check to help cover the organization’s expenses, and $500 in ExxonMobil gift cards was given to help cover the fuel costs for deliveries.
