Sulphur, La. – April 4, 2019 – As part of its long-term community service initiative “Fueling Good. Rebuilding Lives.,” CITGO unveiled a mobile food pantry to serve residents in Southwest Louisiana. The event took place on April 4 at Care Help of Sulphur.

In partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank, the CITGO sponsored mobile pantry will make stops throughout Southwest Louisiana twice per week to deliver food to local food banks. In addition to this weekly service, the mobile pantry will be utilized in the aftermath of natural disasters, such as hurricanes, to ensure access to clean, healthy food for those impacted in our community.

“Addressing the hunger problem in our community is an important step to improving people’s lives, and this is something CITGO takes seriously,” said CITGO Lake Charles Refinery vice president and general manager, Jerry Dunn. “In Louisiana, more than one in six households struggle with hunger and our state has the second highest rate of food insecurity in the country. Even for families with sufficient income, it may be difficult to obtain access to nutritious food. With the CITGO Mobile Food Pantry, we can bring healthy food options directly to individuals and families around the region, and in cases of natural disasters, we can utilize the mobile food pantry to serve areas hardest hit in disaster situations.”

Mayor Mike Danahay of Sulphur said CITGO is addressing an essential need in Southwest Louisiana. “Recognizing the need in our community for continual support of our local food banks, as well as bringing relief to those who have been adversely affected by a natural disaster along our Gulf Coast, CITGO has taken innovative steps to provide help in such areas. The City of Sulphur commends and fully supports CITGO and the ‘Fueling Good. Rebuilding Lives.’ initiative,” Danahay said.

CITGO has been involved in extensive community service work aimed at targeting hunger. In addition to sponsoring this mobile food pantry, CITGO will also roll out pantries in Houston and Corpus Christi, Texas. These efforts are part of the larger “Fueling Good. Rebuilding Lives.” initiative, aimed to aid in community recovery and relief.

“CITGO and Second Harvest Food Bank have partnered with Care Help of Sulphur to fight hunger in our community for many years,” said Jody Farnum, Executive Director of Care Help of Sulphur. “Last year, through the programs offered by Second Harvest Food Bank, Care Help distributed 185,450 lbs. of food to 525 local households monthly, that’s roughly 8 tons of food a month. The donation of this mobile pantry will help continue the partnership and food deliveries to Care Help and other partnering agencies in our Parish. Thank you, CITGO for investing in our community; together we all can fight hunger.”

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 fifth-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 5,000 locally owned and operated branded retail outlets in 30 states and the District of Columbia. CITGO Petroleum Corporation is owned by CITGO Holding, Inc. For more information, visit www.CITGO.com.