Cumberland Farms of Southborough Raises Money for Charity

Monday, June 03, 2013

Jeffrey Starr, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

The first ping pong match at the new table. Photo courtesy of Nathan Fried-Lipski

The Cumberland Farms at 365 Turnpike Road in Southborough raised over $1,600 for the Boys and Girls Club of Metrowest with a month-long fundraiser. The store donated 20 cents from every Chill Zone beverage, brewed tea and coffee (iced or hot) purchased during the fundraiser at its recently remodeled store. The resultant money was used by the Boys and Girls Club to purchase a new ping pong table for their headquarters in Framingham.

Charitable events like this are common at Cumberland Farms locations as David Heilbronner, Senior Manager of Brand Strategy for Cumberland Farms, remarks.

"When a Cumberland Farms store is introduced or reopened in a community, they pick a local organization to partner with for a month. For this specific fundraiser, Ari Haseotes, President of the Cumberland Farms Retail Division and a Southborough native himself, felt strongly about connecting with the local youth. He looked to choose an organization that served kids not just in Southborough, but in surrounding towns as well."

The Importance of Fundraisers

Cumberland Farms just kicked off another Fundraiser with the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club, on May 29. And, in addition, on June 5, they will be beginning one in Attleboro, with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay. The company has also wrapped up successful store fundraisers in other parts of the state as well as New Jersey, Florida and New Hampshire, and they are also planning more in communities including Reading, Fall River, Pepperell and Fitchburg.

Fundraisers such as these benefit the Boys and Girls Club, Cumberland Farms, individuals and the community-at-large alike.

"A fundraiser like this brings the communities together," states Heilbronner,

"For four weeks, every person that walks into the specified Cumberland Farms store for a coffee, tea or Chill Zone beverage, has a hand in helping the chosen local beneficiary. And people take pride in that. When organizations receive their money at the end of a four week period, they know it came from members of the community – and those contributions mean something. It’s neighbors helping neighbors. Additionally, the Boys and Girls Club is able to purchase things like toys, sports equipment, art supplies or other materials for the kids which of course helps nurture the creativity, knowledge and general growth of these young members. For Cumberland Farms, it’s a great way to introduce – or reintroduce – the brand to the community and let the locals know that CF wants to be a part of it."

To celebrate the completion of this particular fundraiser, Assistant Sales Manager Jonathan Cry and other Cumberland Farms employees were on hand to play some of the first games on the new ping pong table on Thursday with children from the Club along with officials from the Boys & Girls Clubs of MetroWest.

For more information on the Boys and Girls Club of Metrowest, Cumberland Farms, and other charitable events please visit the Boys and Girls Club or the Cumberland Farms websites.