ALTOONA, Pa. – For the past 25 years, Sheetz For The Kidz has partnered with The Salvation Army to host Christmas parties and make the holiday season brighter for more than 100,000 underprivileged kids across the Mid-Atlantic. Sheetz For The Kidz is a 501 (c)(3) employee operated charitable organization that raises funds through in-store campaigns during the months of July and December.

This holiday season, each of Sheetz's 564 stores will support 16 children from their local communities by partnering with The Salvation Army to receive wish lists from local families. Sheetz employees volunteer their time to shop, wrap and host holiday parties for the children and their families. At the holiday parties, Santa will greet the children and present them with new toys, clothes and other basic needs purchased specifically for them. The children and their families will enjoy food, crafts, games and an opportunity to take pictures with Santa. In total, 9,300 children will be impacted by Sheetz For The Kidz this December.

"Sheetz employees are committed to giving back to their communities and they wholeheartedly embrace our corporate charity," said Sarah Piper, executive director of Sheetz For The Kidz. We are also so grateful for our customers who, year after year, support our July and December in-store campaigns. Their contributions help make the holiday season a bit more cheerful for their local communities."

During the month of December, customers can donate at checkout at all Sheetz store locations across Pennsylvania, North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio and Maryland. All told, 100% of customer donations go directly to supporting the children in our communities.

There are four ways customers can support Sheetz For The Kidz:

• Donate at checkout throughout December.
• Purchase a Sheetz For The Kidz water, with 25 cents of every bottle sold supports the charity.
• Shop on AmazonSmile and select "Sheetz For The Kidz" as the charity of your choice. Amazon will donate .5% of your purchases to Sheetz For The Kidz.
• Go to www.sheetzforthekidz.org to donate online today.

This also marks the 13th consecutive year of Sheetz For The Kidz partnering with Make-A-Wish to grant wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. The charity sponsors one child per Sheetz operating district, totaling 55 children this year.