Irving Oil’s Fuel the Care program surpasses milestone of 100,000 families supported
Saint John, NB – For more than 20 years, Irving Oil’s Fuel the Care program has been supporting families with children requiring travel to receive medical care.
Since 2002, Fuel the Care has supported more than 100,000 families, providing fuel gift cards through its network of partner hospitals across Eastern Canada, New England and Ireland. The program helps ease the financial stress so parents and caregivers can focus on what’s most important – their children’s wellbeing.
“We’re very thankful for the tremendous support of our customers in all of our geographic markets who continue to make Fuel the Care possible,” says Irving Oil President Ian Whitcomb. “By choosing our company for their energy needs, they are helping families when they need it most through this important program.”
Fuel the Care expanded this year, in partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital, thus allowing the program to assist even more families in the Boston region through the hospital’s child-care center.
“We are extremely thankful that our patient families will benefit from Fuel the Care,” says Dr. Joanne Wolfe, Physician-in-Chief at Mass General for Children. “The rising cost of living has brought added pressure to families of sick children in Boston and across the globe. With support from Irving Oil, we can help lessen added financial burden caused by travelling to and from the hospital and allow families to focus on helping their loved ones heal."
Fuel the Care began supporting families in Ireland last year through a new partnership with Children’s Health Foundation. In its inaugural year, the program provided travel assistance to more than one family each day.
“It can be extremely difficult to juggle a sick child in the hospital and look after your family at home,” says Emma Hayward, whose four-year-old daughter Izzy required hospital care and was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. “Having a sick child in hospital is a huge financial pressure on families, that sometimes may be overlooked. Having the Fuel the Care program has massively helped ease the burden during such a difficult time.”
The company is celebrating Fuel the Care Day on Wednesday, October 18, with employees at select retail sites in Canada, the US and Ireland washing windshields, pumping fuel and thanking customers for supporting Fuel the Care by choosing Irving Oil.
Fuel the Care initiatives:
• Offering free parking to all visitors at Saint John Regional Hospital in Saint John, NB, IWK Health Centre in Halifax, NS, Mass General Hospital for Children in Boston, MA, and Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin on October 16.
• Providing craft packs to distribute to patients visiting our partnering hospitals on October 17.
• Customer appreciation events at 16 retail sites across our network on Fuel the Care Day, October 18.
Every time you visit an Irving Oil or Top Oil location, choose Irving Energy to heat your home or enjoy a homestyle meal at our Irving Big Stop Restaurant, you’re helping to support the Fuel the Care program. Customers can also support Fuel the Care families directly, through no extra cost, by using dedicated “Care Pumps” that have been set up at various retail locations.
Care Pumps:
Halifax: One cent from every litre purchased at our designated pumps throughout the Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia are donated to the IWK Foundation to support families travelling to receive medical care for their child.
Pembroke: Four cents from every gallon purchased at our Fuel the Care Pump at The Irving in Pembroke, Massachusetts, will be donated to Tufts Medical Center to support families travelling to receive medical care for their child.
Ireland: One cent from every litre purchased at Care Pumps in Ballina, Kilkenny, Newhall and Cobh Cross is directly donated to the Children’s Health Foundation.
Fuel the Care partner hospitals:
• Nova Scotia: The IWK Health Centre
• Newfoundland & Labrador: Janeway Child Health and Rehabilitation Centre
• New Brunswick: Saint John Regional Hospital
• Quebec: Le Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec
• Maine: Northern Light Health
• New Hampshire: The Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
• Massachusetts: Tufts Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children
• Ireland: Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin, Children’s Health Ireland at Temple Street, Children’s Health Ireland at Tallaght, Children’s Health Ireland at Connolly.
For more information, visit Irving Oil’s social media channels, look for the #fuelthecare hashtag, or log on to the Fuel the Care webpage: fuelthecare.ca
Facebook: www.facebook.com/irvingoil
Instagram: @irving_oil
Twitter: @irvingoil
About Irving Oil:
Irving Oil is a family-owned and privately held international energy company. For nearly 100 years, our commitment to doing good business has been grounded in our commitment to people – to our employees, customers, communities and partners. Founded in 1924, our mission is focused on our continued evolution to meet the changing needs of our customers. Specializing in the refining and marketing of finished energy products, we operate Canada’s largest refinery in Saint John, New Brunswick, and Ireland’s only refinery, located in the village of Whitegate. We proudly serve customers with more than 1,000 fuelling locations and a network of distribution terminals spanning Eastern Canada, New England and in Ireland, operating under the Top brand. We are on a continuous journey of sustainable development, working to reduce our environmental footprint while continuing to provide safe and reliable energy to our customers. Named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for seven consecutive years, we are proud of our team and our longstanding commitment to our customers and our communities. Learn more at www.irvingsoil.com.
Media contact:
Katherine d’Entremont
support@irvingsoil.com
506.654.7162