<strong>From staff reports</strong>

A local convenience store company donated $30,000 to Beaufort County schools on Sept. 15 as part of an ongoing promotion at its outlets.

Parker’s, which operates 66 convenience stores in Georgia and South Carolina, said the proceeds came from its “Fueling the Community” program. That promotion gives one cent of every gallon of gas sold on the first Wednesday of each month to local schools.

Some of the Parker’s donation goes to support the school district’s annual “Support Person of the Year” recognition program, which honors school nurses, social workers, bookkeepers, office managers, teacher assistants, school secretaries, and technology and data specialists. Other funds go to specific schools designated by Parker’s “Pump Pal” customers when they purchase their gasoline on the first Wednesday of each month.

“At Parker's, we're committed to giving back to the Beaufort County community and supporting local schools through our Fueling the Community program," Parker's founder and CEO Greg Parker said. “We're grateful to all the Beaufort County School District teachers, administrators and staff who work hard every day to support student success, particularly as they face the challenges of this unprecedented school year.”

Through the Fueling the Community charitable initiative, Parker’s gives back to every community where it does business. The company donates a portion of every gallon of gas sold at Parker’s on the first Wednesday of the month to local schools in South Carolina and Georgia. Since its inception in 2011, the program has given more than $1 million to local schools.

Superintendent Frank Rodriguez accepted the donation on behalf of the school district.

“This annual donation from Parker’s is a model of corporate generosity in support of children,” Rodriguez said in a release. “This year takes us over the $130,000 mark since the company first included our district in its program six years ago.”