Irving Oil’s Fuel the Care program helps more than 60,000 New England families focus on care, not costs
Caroline and her family in Maine received support through Irving Oil's Fuel the Care program.
NEW ENGLAND – For more than two decades, Irving Oil’s Fuel the Care program has been helping families focus on what matters most—caring for their children—by easing the financial burden of required travel to access pediatric medical care.
“We are incredibly proud of the impact Fuel the Care continues to have in the communities we serve,” says Jennifer Beach, Irving Oil’s Executive Vice President, People & Business Transformation. “Thanks to the ongoing support of our customers, we are able to help thousands of families every year by reducing the stress and cost of travel, allowing them to focus on their child’s care and recovery.”
Through its network of partner hospitals, Fuel the Care has provided more than $2.6 million in fuel gift cards to help ease the financial stress of more than 60,000 families in the New England region, allowing them to focus on their child’s well-being.
"The Fuel the Care gift cards were a blessing every single time we received them,” says Anne Boardman, whose daughter Caroline required open heart surgery and treatment for Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
Living in Fort Fairfield, Maine, they regularly travel to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine, as well as Boston for Caroline’s medical appointments.
Anne says when you’re in the midst of a medical crisis, Fuel the Care provides “amazing support for families.”
Across the energy company’s operations in New England, Eastern Canada and Ireland, the program has supported more than 120,000 families since 2002, with a total investment topping $7 million.
This year marks the 20th year as a Fuel the Care program partner hospital for Northern Light Health in Maine. In that time, more than 8,500 families have benefited from more than $1 million in fuel cards.
"As we celebrate this 20-year milestone, I am deeply grateful for Irving Oil’s longstanding commitment to supporting our patients and their families,” says Cynthia Faulkner, President, Northern Light Health Foundation.
Mikele Neal, RN, Associate Vice President Patient Care Services, Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, says Fuel the Care has had a tremendous impact on patient families.
“Many of our families travel long distances to be with their child during a hospitalization or to access specialized care and assistance with fuel costs has eased the financial burden during what is some of the most difficult times of their lives,” Mikele says.
Other New England partner hospitals include Mass General Brigham for Children and Tufts Medical Center, both in Boston, MA, as well as the Golisono Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Health in Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Since becoming a program partner in 2003, more than 18,000 families at The Children’s Hospital have benefited from Fuel the Care. In the Boston region, Fuel the Care has supported more than 33,000 families.
This year, Fuel the Care Day will take place on Friday, September 18, bringing Irving Oil employees together across Canada, the United States and Ireland to thank customers for their continued support. As part of this celebration, customers can enter for a chance WIN Free Fuel for a Year, a $500 donation to a cause of their choice or a $250 fuel gift card.
Customers can also support Fuel the Care directly, by using dedicated “Care Pumps” that have been set up at select retail locations. Four cents from every gallon purchased at the Fuel the Care Pump at The Irving in Pembroke, MA, is donated to Tufts Medical Center to support families traveling to receive medical care for their child.
In their words
“Irving Oil’s extraordinary generosity helps remove a very real barrier for patients and families when they need us most. Fuel the Care has provided $1.2 million in resources to help Tufts Medical Center patients and their families travel to receive care and be together during some of life’s most important moments.” Terry Hudson-Jinks, Chief Nursing Officer, Chief Experience Officer and Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services, Tufts Medical Center
“Mass General Brigham for Children is grateful to be able to offer the Fuel the Care program to our patients and families during some of their most difficult times. These cards are especially impactful for families who travel long distances for specialized care for their critically ill children, including things like cancer treatment, organ transplant, and intensive care stays. Community support like these gift cards is meaningful not only in addressing a practical need, but in reminding families that they are not alone during what might be some of the hardest moments of their lives.” Kara Huselton, LICSW, Manager, Social Work, Mass General Brigham for Children
“Most of the families that are evaluated by our Child Advocacy and Protection Program team travel long distances for this specialized care. They are dealing with incredibly difficult situations involving the safety and security of their children. More often than not, these parents have had to take time off from work to make sure their child can be seen by our team and many of these households have significant financial struggles that make transportation a barrier to receiving this support. The Fuel the Care program addresses this need directly and allows our team to provide the compassionate, expert, multidisciplinary care when they need it the most.” Lisa Avery, MSW, Social Worker, Golisano Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Health
Fuel the Care partner hospitals
- Maine: Northern Light Health
- New Hampshire: Golisano Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Health
- Massachusetts: Tufts Medical Center, Mass General Brigham for Children
- New Brunswick: Saint John Regional Hospital
- Nova Scotia: IWK Health
- Newfoundland & Labrador: Janeway Children’s Health and Rehabilitation Centre
- Quebec: Santé Québec CHU de Québec-Université Laval
- Ireland: Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin, Children’s Health Ireland at Temple Street, Children’s Health Ireland at Tallaght, Children’s Health Ireland at Connolly
For more information, visit fuelthecare.com, or Irving Oil on Facebook and Instagram.
About Irving Oil
Irving Oil is a privately held international energy company. For more than 100 years, our commitment to doing good business has been grounded in our commitment to people – to our employees, customers, communities and partners. Founded in 1924, our mission is focused on our continued evolution to meet the changing needs of our customers. Specializing in the refining and marketing of finished energy products, we operate Canada’s largest refinery in Saint John, New Brunswick, and Ireland’s only refinery, located in the village of Whitegate. We proudly serve customers through more than 1,000 fuelling locations supported by a network of distribution terminals spanning Eastern Canada, New England and in Ireland, operating under the Top brand. Named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for 10 consecutive years and one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People, we are proud of our team and our longstanding commitment to our customers and our communities. Learn more at www.irvingoil.com.
Media contact:
April Cunningham
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506.651.7417