Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Operation Warm Partnership Serves Tribal Youth in Idaho

Oct 4, 2023 1:00 PM ET
"MPC's Three-Year Partnership with Operation Warm" and statistics.
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  • Hundreds of underserved children from the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in southeastern Idaho have new coats, shoes and school supplies for the school year ahead.
  • Employees from Marathon Petroleum Corp.’s midstream segment MPLX supported a recent distribution event with the national nonprofit organization Operation Warm.
  • This local effort is a recent addition to Marathon’s partnership with Operation Warm that, over the past three years, has reached 20,000 children across ten tribal communities in the U.S.

Seeing a smile on the face of a child in need can be a powerful source of motivation. Just ask Marathon Pipe Line (MPL) Area Manager Justin Merrell who recently volunteered a second time at a distribution of coats, shoes and school supplies for children of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes at the Fort Hall Reservation in southeastern Idaho.

“We were eager to help again. At our first event last December, it was pretty rewarding to see the excitement of the kids, some of whom didn’t have a coat,” Merrell said. “We moved up this year’s event to the start of the school year, rather than have them miss a couple of cold months.”

The two-day distribution in August served as many as 350 students. The event was coordinated with Operation Warm, a nonprofit that provides coats and shoes to underserved children across the country and connects them to community resources.

The involvement of Merrell and other employee volunteers from MPL, part of Marathon Petroleum Corp.’s (MPC) midstream segment MPLX, came through MPC’s partnership with Operation Warm, which has been running for the past three years. Funding from MPC has allowed this partnership to benefit more than 20,000 children in ten tribal communities across the U.S., and employees have logged more than 800 volunteer hours.

“Our Pocatello terminal is the closest Marathon asset to the Fort Hall Reservation, so, when this opportunity to volunteer was presented, we jumped on it,” said Merrell. “The kids and residents there have a number of challenges but are resilient and seem to be smiling all the time. I enjoy spending time there to work with them and Operation Warm.” 

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