Parker’s Kitchen – a nationally acclaimed convenience store company and food service leader that was recently honored as a USA TODAY Top Workplace for 2024 – made a $5,000 Fueling the Community donation to Aiken County Public Schools at the official ribbon cutting for the company’s first store in Aiken, S.C. on April 10. Dr. Corey Murphy, Chief Officer of Operations and Student Services for the Aiken County Public School District, accepted the donation on behalf of local teachers and students.

The new store is located at 140 Jefferson Davis Hwy. and is the first of many retail locations planned for the Aiken, S.C. and Augusta, Ga. market. Local dignitaries in attendance at the ribbon cutting and check presentation included Aiken Mayor Teddy Milner; County Council Chairman Gary Bunker; City Council members Ed Girardeau, Kay Brohl, Gail Diggs; and Aiken Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jim Tunison. 

The Parker’s Fueling the Community charitable initiative donates a percentage of gas sold at all Parker’s Kitchen locations on the first Wednesday of each month to area schools. The company has donated more than $2 million to area schools across South Carolina and Georgia since the inception of the Fueling the Community program in 2011.

“At Parker’s Kitchen, we want to exceed expectations and to be a great community partner,” said Parker’s Kitchen founder and CEO Greg Parker. “Education serves as the foundation of our philanthropy. We’re deeply honored to support Aiken County Public Schools and are committed to being an excellent neighbor in Aiken, Augusta and North Augusta.” 

Known for its longstanding commitment to charitable giving, Parker’s Kitchen is one of the most generous companies in the convenience store industry and in the Southeast. The company has donated more than $30 million over the past eight years to local causes and is currently conducting a round-up campaign to support local injured veterans, with proceeds benefiting Wounded Warrior Project. Parker’s Kitchen matches 25% of all customer round-up donations to amplify the impact of customer giving.

Parker’s Kitchen is committed to supporting education, expanding access to healthcare, reducing childhood hunger and celebrating local heroes. The company stands apart as one of America’s most respected convenience store brands and is known for having the cleanest stores in the industry. Headquartered in Savannah, Ga., Parker’s Kitchen has enjoyed robust 20 to 24 percent annual growth every year for the past 25 years and has been featured six times on the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. The company also offers an acclaimed Parker’s Rewards program, which saves customers time and money at the pump as well as in the store. 

Strategically positioned at the intersection of Jefferson Davis Hwy. and Hitchcock Pkwy., the company’s newest store offers award-winning, Southern-style, made-from-scratch Parker’s Kitchen food for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as a wide range of convenience items. Parker’s Kitchen currently operates 84 retail stores in Georgia and South Carolina and plans to double the number of stores in the next four years.

Parker’s Kitchen has been named the Convenience Store Chain of the Year by Convenience Store Decisions, which is the industry’s highest honor, and was voted the #4 Best Gas Station for Food and the #6 Best Gas Station Brand in America by USA TODAY readers in 2023. 

Since its founding in 1976, Parker’s has become a nationally acclaimed, award-winning company that raises the bar for what customers can expect from a convenience store. The Parker’s Rewards loyalty program, which includes more than 300,000 members, has saved customers more than $15 million to date. Parker’s employs more than 1,360 professionals throughout South Carolina and Georgia, and completes nearly a million transactions weekly.