CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, Dec. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery recently hosted its annual Partner Appreciation Breakfast in appreciation of the community members and organizations that worked with CITGO throughout 2018. The event was held at the Art Museum of South Texas and more than 150 representatives from local non-profit organizations and area businesses attended along with city and county dignitaries.

The celebration served as an opportunity for CITGO to acknowledge the organizations and community leaders who contribute to the company's commitment of "Fueling Good" in the Coastal Bend. "CITGO understands that we operate as a privilege in the communities where we live and work," said Trina Martinez, Vice President & General Manager of the CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery. "The connections we share with our community partners allow CITGO to advance our pledge to improve the quality of life for the communities across our operational foot print. As part of this commitment, we invest in a wide variety of social programs and encourage our employees to implement a culture of volunteerism as part of their daily lives."

In early 2018, CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery partnered with Habitat for Humanity Aransas to launch "Fueling Good. Rebuilding Lives" in the Coastal Bend. "With CITGO funding and their volunteers' support, we have helped and are currently helping 30 plus families get back to a place of being made whole," said Patty Butters executive director for Habitat for Humanity Aransas. "Thanks to CITGO, we are now in a place to continue to help with disaster recovery in our community. CITGO has brought compassion, hope and renewal to a broken community when it was needed the most."

CITGO founded "Fueling Good. Rebuilding Lives." in 2017. Its outreach is dedicated to community recovery in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. Through this initiative, CITGO has committed $10.9 million to storm recovery over the next three years, rebuilding homes and providing relief throughout Texas, including in the Coastal Bend region.

About CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery

The CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery, which celebrated 80 years of operations in 2015, provides more than 1,000 jobs locally, while generating more than $345 million per year on average in support of the local economy through salaries, services and taxes. With a crude refining capacity of approximately 157,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) and a versatile product mix, which includes an average of 4.2 million gallons of gasoline, the CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery is one of the most sophisticated and efficient fuel and petrochemical refineries in the nation. In addition to producing high-quality fuels for a network of more than 300 independently owned and operated CITGO branded stations in the State of Texas and thousands more across the country, CITGO Corpus Christi refinery employees are dedicated to making a positive difference in their communities. CITGO Corpus Christi employees volunteer more than 2,500 hours on average annually to support causes and organizations including United Way, Charlie's Place, Muscular Dystrophy Association, The Miracle League, Catholic Charities, the Special Olympics, Hans and Pat Suter Park and Adopt-A-Beach Clean Up, among many others. For more information, visit www.citgocorpuschristi.com.

About CITGO

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, CITGO Petroleum Corporation is a recognized leader in the refining industry with a well-known brand. CITGO operates three refineries located in Corpus Christi, Texas; Lake Charles, La.; and Lemont, Ill., and wholly and/or jointly owns 48 terminals, nine pipelines and three lubricants blending and packaging plants. With approximately 3,400 employees and a combined crude capacity of approximately 749,000 barrels-per-day (bpd), CITGO is ranked as the sixth-largest, and one of the most complex independent refiners in the United States. CITGO transports and markets transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products and supplies a network of approximately 5,200 locally owned and operated branded retail outlets in 30 states and the District of Columbia. CITGO Petroleum Corporation is owned by CITGO Holding, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more information, visit www.citgo.com.

SOURCE CITGO