SAVANNAH — Parker’s recently received a Convenience Retailing University award of excellence at the CRU conference in Glendale, Ariz.  
CSP, a convenience-store media company, presented the award in recognition of the Fueling the Community program, through which Parker’s donates a portion of gas sales on the first Wednesday of every month to area schools.
“In any given year, CSP hears about hundreds of retail programs,” said Steve Holtz, news director for CSP Information Group. “We’re pleased to recognize those that rise to the top with our CRU Awards of Excellence. The Parker’s Fueling the Community program is a great example of how convenience retailers can make a difference in their communities.”
Parker’s donates 1 cent of every gallon of gas purchased at all of its convenience stores on the first Wednesday of the month to community schools through the Fueling the Community program.
The company’s initiative officially launched in fall 2011 and has donated money to public and private schools in every community where Parker’s does business.   
 “We don’t think the retailer should just sit in an ivory tower and take from customers,” Parker’s President and CEO Greg Parker said. “We live in an age of empathy. Customers want to support companies that are giving back. So we think it’s really important that we’re giving back in a profound way to the communities that are supporting us.”
Parker’s customers can sign up for a PumpPal card online at www.PumpPalClub.com to select a school of their choice.
Existing PumpPal members can access their account online and select a specific school to receive donations.  
During the past two years, Parker’s has presented numerous checks to schools throughout coastal Georgia and South Carolina.
Parker’s currently operates 30 convenience stores in six counties throughout southeast Georgia and South Carolina and sells Parker’s proprietary brand gasoline.