Giving back, whether it is to
customers or the community, has always been something that Speedstop Gas and Goods has supported. Our wonderful employees go above and beyond not only at
work, but also on their own time outside of work. Recently, one of our
employees, Pequot Lakes Store Manager Greg Larson, took time out of his day to volunteer
at the Ronald McDonald House with his family.
Having never
volunteered at the Ronald McDonald house, this was a new experience for Greg. After
visiting their website and gaining a better understanding of the great work
they do for families, and the hardship these families are facing, Greg decided
he wanted to get involved. When asked what the day was like, Greg stated:
“It was one of the
most profound, rewarding things I had ever done. It was well out of my comfort
zone, but Amy, my daughter-in-law who spear headed this event, and surrounded
herself with good cooks and some people who could take direction (not so much
me) got us all together in this nice commercial kitchen, and off to work we
went. JM Speedstop and Deerwood Bank’s monetary donations helped pay for most
of the groceries, so all we needed was the ambition to get 100 plus people fed.
You can't imagine the feeling of having people from all over the world visiting
your eating facility, largely with heavy hearts as they are experiencing life
changing/threating events. People that entered sad or crying left feeling a
little better and fuller and that is what we set out to do. As much as it
seemed that we were giving, I feel we truly got more than we gave and because
of this, we plan to raise money and volunteer twice a year for the Ronald
McDonald Cooks for Kids program and serve more families!”
The Ronald McDonald House has an extremely rich history and has touched the lives of
millions. Starting in 1974, the charity has now grown to 58 countries and
regions across the world with one mission in mind: “create,
find and support programs that directly improve the health and wellbeing of
children.” Greg did just that, and said that
no volunteering he’s ever done has been as rewarding than what he experienced
at the Ronald McDonald House. The balance of a day spent with family and
friends while helping people feel better for a few hours made it special.
We
are so happy that Greg and his family had such a wonderful experience while
giving back to such a great cause. His experience is truly inspiring, and we
are proud to have such a great individual on our Speedstop team.
