Quick Chek plans to raise money through in-store donations for the veterans living in the New York and New Jersey communities.
Quick Chek plans to raise more than $50,000 for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) this summer at its 130 New Jersey and New York stores.
“There is a tremendous amount of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans (who) live in the New York market,” said John Schaninger, Quick Chek’s vice president of marketing. “We learned about (the IAVA) recently, met with them and thought this was an important organization to get behind.”
Quick Chek stores are prompting customers to donate $1 to the IAVA on their visits, and sign paper dog tags in support of U.S. veterans of the two wars. Fundraising started on Memorial Day, and will run through July 4.
“For many Americans, Memorial Day is about barbecues or hanging out at the beach,” said IAVA Founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff. “For our military and veteran’s community, it’s a day to remember the brothers and sisters we’ve lost, and to honor the sacrifice of this new generation of veterans.”
Quick Chek also helped the IAVA with a smart hiring process for war veterans. Schaninger said any IAVA members interested in store management positions will qualify for the job, and could be potentially hired later.
Rieckhoff said the IAVA is “proud to team with Quick Chek to raise critical awareness and support” for the U.S. veterans. The partnership between the two companies will continue after this initial fundraiser ends.