Circle K, the international convenience store chain, is donating a meal to those in need with every fuel transaction, even as the company's own sales have fallen precipitously due to coronavirus.
"We've seen local food bank demand just spike throughout this crisis," CEO Brian Hannasch told Cheddar on Monday. "Circle K is committed to being a part of the solution."
Feeding America, an umbrella organization that helps local food banks secure food, projects a $1.4 billion shortfall in supply over the next six months. The spike in demand comes as upwards of 17 million people have lost their jobs since the coronavirus outbreak hit the U.S. At the same time, federal aid is just beginning to reach people's bank accounts, leaving many Americans in a lurch.
Circle K is partnering with Feeding America to help meet that demand.
The charitable initiative comes as Circle K endures a massive drop in sales. Hannasch said customer visits are down 25 percent, and fuel purchases are down 30 to 50 percent.
"We're trying to stay open," he said. "We're taking a lot of steps to make sure that we protect our employees and our customers."
The company has installed clear barriers between clerks and customers and is aggressively cleaning the retail space each day.
Hannasch said that Circle K is hoping to retain as many employees as possible, particularly in nations without a strong social safety net. The chain has 7,000 sites in the U.S. across 48 states and can be found in more than 20 countries.
"We've really tried to keep people," he said. "In some countries, there are very strong social safety nets, so we have furloughed some people, particularly in Europe. In the U.S., we've put in an emergency $2.50 emergency wage supplement and paid sick leave."
About 780,000 pressure washers sold at retailers like Home Depot are being recalled across the U.S. and Canada, due to a projectile hazard that has resulted in fractures and other injuries among some consumers.
President Donald Trump has fired one of two Democratic members of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to break a 2-2 tie ahead of the board considering the largest railroad merger ever proposed.
Ford is recalling more than 355,000 of its pickup trucks across the U.S. because of an instrument panel display failure that’s resulted in critical information, like warning lights and vehicle speed, not showing up on the dashboard.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
