LEMONT, Ill., Sept. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Employees at the CITGO Lemont Refinery partnered with Catholic Charities Diocese of Joliet on its annual Back to School Fair by donating approximately 10 boxes of school supplies for students in need.
The Back to School Fair, which assists children from low-income households, took place on July 30 at Joliet Catholic Academy and provided approximately 1,300 Will County students with the items needed to have a successful school year.
According to Glenn Van Cura, executive director of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Joliet, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's fair was conducted as a contact-free drive-thru to promote social distancing. Each participant brought a ticket (either printed out or on their phones) and held it up to the car window to be scanned, and then a staff member placed the boxes of school supplies directly into the trunk of the vehicle.
"Our school supplies fair is truly a community effort and we are grateful to companies like CITGO and its employees who generously donated," said Cura.
In addition to the standard items, each student received a washable, reusable face mask.
"This school year is unprecedented with so many unknowns, which is why we wanted to get involved and support local families and students in our community," said Dennis Willig, CITGO Lemont Vice President and General Manager.
About the CITGO Lemont Refinery
For more than 90 years, CITGO Lemont Refinery has employed more than 750 Chicago area residents on a full-time and contract basis in support of the local economy. In addition to producing high quality fuels for a large portion of the network of more than 5,200 locally-owned CITGO stations across the country, Lemont Refinery employees also make a major positive impact on the community. Each year, more than 2,500 volunteer hours and thousands of dollars are given in support of community programs such as Muscular Dystrophy Association, United Way and a variety of environmental and preservation programs. Operations at the Lemont Refinery began in 1925 and a major expansion doubled the facility in 1933. Over the years, new units were added to meet the demand for a better quality of gas for automobiles, aviation fuel for WWII, and the production of asphalt. For more information, visit www.citgolemont.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 42 terminals, six pipelines and three lubricants blending and packaging plants. With approximately 3,400 employees and a combined crude capacity of approximately 769,000 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 4,600 locally owned and operated branded retail outlets, all located east of the Rocky Mountains. CITGO Petroleum Corporation is owned by CITGO Holding, Inc.
SOURCE CITGO Corporation
