VALERO ENERGY FOUNDATION continued its community outreach on Friday when it donated a brand-new box truck to the Salvation Army for its transportation needs. The event also included a ribbon-cutting ceremony by the Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce.
“We are pleased to provide this truck in support of Salvation Army and its work in the area,” said Sal Viscontini, Valero Texas City Plant Manager. Viscontini also provided the Salvation Army with a year of free fuel for its new truck.
A new truck had been high on the list of things needed for the Salvation Army, who has seen its need to support local residents increase over the past several years. Currently, they have more than 500 families signed up for their annual Angel Tree program, a number that has increased over 43 percent from last year.
Combined with other needs and demands that stretched them out over the course of Hurricane Harvey two years ago, the Salvation Army turned to the community to reach out for help. Once Valero heard the call, the road toward a new truck became clear.
“This decision was a no-brainer for us,” said Michael Walter, Valero’s Community and Public Affairs director.
This was the latest in charitable contributions for Valero, whose employees pledged more than $631,000 this year. Valero has contributed over $4.5 million throughout the area since 2012, while employees have also given more than 60,000 hours of volunteer work since 2014.
“Valero has always been a wonderful community partner,” said Texas City-La Marque Chamber President Jenny Senter. “We’re proud to be able to celebrate the continued growth of the Salvation Army with Valero.”
