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Parker's donates $12,000 to Effingham County School District
Parker's donation
Parker’s Chief of Staff Kate Smith (right) recently presented a Fueling the Community check for $12,000 to the Effingham County School District. Superintendent Dr. Yancy Ford (left) accepted the donation on behalf of the school system Oct. 7. - photo by Photo submitted
Submitted report
Effingham Herald
Published: Oct 12, 2020, 8:09 PM

SPRINGFIELD -- Parker’s -- a nationally acclaimed convenience store company and food service leader that was named the 2020 CStore Decisions Convenience Store Chain of the Year -- recently donated $12,000 to the Effingham County School District as part of the company’s Fueling the Community program, which donates one cent of every gallon of gas sold on the first Wednesday of each month to local schools.

The check presentation took place at the Effingham County Board of Education building, located at 405 Ash St., on Oct. 7. Superintendent Dr. Yancy Ford accepted the donation on behalf of the school district. The donation is part of nearly $150,000 Parker’s is giving to schools in Georgia and South Carolina this fall.

“We’re deeply honored to support teachers and students in Effingham County through our Fueling the Community program and to give back to local schools,” said Parker’s founder and CEO Greg Parker. “At Parker’s, we believe education has the power to transform lives and uplift communities. It’s truly an honor to support Effingham County Schools, year after year.”

Launched in 2011 with a mission to give back to every community where Parker’s does business, the Parker’s Fueling the Community charitable initiative distributes more than $200,000 annually to public and private schools throughout Georgia and South Carolina. To date, Parker’s has donated more than $1 million to area schools through the program.

Deeply engaged with the communities it serves, Parker’s endows the Parker’s Emergency and Trauma Center at Memorial Hospital in Savannah and spearheads the Keep Savannah Clean anti-litter campaign. In 2019, Parker’s also donated a record $5 million to create the Parker College of Business at Georgia Southern University.

Founded in 1976, Parker’s is one of America’s most respected convenience store brands and is known for having the cleanest stores in the industry. Parker’s serves award-winning Southern-inspired food and offers an acclaimed Parker’s Rewards program. The company gives back to every community where it does business through the Fueling the Community charitable giving program.

Parker’s has been included on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing companies for five years and was honored by Food and Wine as one of America’s Best Convenience Stores, by The Shelby Report as the Southeast Retailer of the Year and by Convenience Store News as the Foodservice Leader of the Year. The company employs more than 1,200 individuals throughout the region and completes more than 125,000 transactions daily.
Effingham Donates 6,900 Shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child
Operation Christmas Child
Cohen Busbee packs a shoebox with toys, school supplies and personal care items for Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child. (Submitted photo)
Updated: Nov 26, 2025, 7:11 PM
Published: Nov 25, 2025, 2:28 PM

RINCON, Ga. — Effingham County’s generosity will soon be felt across the globe. Local churches, civic groups and residents combined to donate 6,900 gift-filled shoeboxes this year for Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse that delivers presents — along with a message of Christian faith — to children in need around the world.

Volunteers fuel  participation

Among those helping lead the effort are Pat and James McElveen, who serve as project leaders for First Baptist Church of Rincon. The couple collects items for their church year-round, coordinates volunteers and helps involve people of all ages in the packing process, including seniors, Bible school groups and individuals from the Low Country Down Syndrome Society.

Operation Christmas Child, operated by the Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, aims to share the Gospel while providing what may be a child’s first gift. Each shoebox contains a “WOW” item, along with other small toys, personal care items, school supplies and clothing. Last year, the organization delivered nearly 12 million shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories.

Operation Christmas Child
James and Pat McElveen (back row) stand with Cohen (left) and Asa Busbee in a room where shoeboxes have been packed for Operation Christmas Child. (Submitted photo)

Churches, civic groups and residents all contribute

This year’s local total includes contributions from churches across the county — including First Baptist Rincon (5,100 shoeboxes) and Springfield Oaks (1,800 shoeboxes), which also serves as a drop-off site — along with Boy Scouts, high school groups and individual residents who pack boxes throughout the year. Pat said the wide community involvement is what makes the effort meaningful.

All 6,900 local boxes were delivered this week to Metter, where they will be transported to Atlanta for processing before being shipped around the world. Because many deliveries travel into remote regions, not every gift arrives by Christmas, and distributions continue throughout the year.

Once the shoeboxes reach their final destinations, each child receives both the gifts and a booklet explaining the Christian message in their language. For the McElveens and FBC Rincon, that message is at the heart of the project. ”It’s all about Jesus!”

With another successful collection completed, the McElveens say they are already preparing for next year and looking forward to the thousands of children who will once again open a shoebox packed by caring hands in Effingham County.