CITGO, Local Marketers And Miss Wisconsin Team Up With The Racine County Food Bank To Fight Hunger

RACINE, Wis., June 14, 2012 / 3BL Media / PRNewswire/ -- CITGO Petroleum Corporation and local CITGO Marketers Condon Oil, Garrow Oil, Open Pantry, Prairie State and Lakeside Oil are launching the "Be A Star. Buy A Star." campaign to raise money for the Racine County Food Bank. From Friday, June 15 through Sunday, July 1, 20 local CITGO stations across the region will sell red, white and blue paper "Star Blocks" for $1 or $5. All of the proceeds will be donated directly to the Racine County Food Bank to help support its operations. Miss Wisconsin, Miss Racine, Miss Kenosha and Miss Milwaukee will present the Racine County Food Bank with a check on Wednesday, July 4prior to the Racine Fourth Fest Fireworks.

"Often people only think of food banks around the holidays, but hunger exists in our community all year long," said Dan Taivalkoski, executive director at the Racine County Food Bank. "We are so grateful to CITGO and its local Marketers and Retailers for helping us serve the people of Racine County and advance our goal of ending hunger." 

The Racine County Food Bank distributes more than 80,000 pounds of food to pantries throughout Racine County each month. This distribution network includes 16 food pantries and seven meal sites. In addition to these 23 locations, the Racine County Food Bank also supports shelters for the homeless, battered women, veterans and children in and around Racine County.  

"We are honored to be a part of this year's Fourth Fest in Racine. We couldn't think of a better way to support the community than with making sure no one goes to bed hungry," said Jack Sobczak, director of sales and marketing at Lakeside Oil. "The Racine County Food Bank is such an integral part of Racine and its surrounding communities. We truly hope that the "Be A Star. Buy A Star." campaign makes a positive impact on both the organization and the people it serves."

Local CITGO stations participating in the "Be A Star. Buy A Star." campaign include three Condon Oil locations in Racine and Pleasant Prairie; two Garrow Oil locations in Racine and Kenosha; three Open Pantry stores in Racine; three Prairie State stations in Kenosha and Racine; and nine Lakeside Oil locations across Kenosha, Racine, Waterford and Sturtevant. Stations may also offer special promotions during the campaign to help encourage more purchases to benefit the Food Bank.

CITGO is committed to giving back to the local communities it serves through its network of locally owned stations. CITGO Marketers and Retailers in Wisconsin own and operate more than 300 CITGO locations and are proud to support their communities. For more information on the positive impact of the locally owned CITGO stations, visit www.CITGO.com.

CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by PDV America, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more information, visit www.CITGO.com.

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