At the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank on Wednesday, representatives of Marathon Petroleum presented a novelty check for $50,000 — fruits from Marathon’s second annual Catching for a Cause fundraiser held this summer.
Dustin Moore, turnaround and construction supervisor at Marathon Petroleum’s Kenai Refinery, said Wednesday that the fundraiser, which brings people from his industry to the Kenai Peninsula for fishing and networking, is part of a Marathon effort to benefit local communities “in ways that don’t tax the same donors over and over.”
People on the Kenai Peninsula give much to great causes, he said, but it’s often the same people doing that giving repeatedly. Catching for a Cause, he said, brought people from out of state while utilizing the opportunities and resources uniquely available on the Kenai Peninsula. Other refineries usually host golf tournaments.
Moore said those donors are eager to support the food bank.
“When you walk through here, you can see the people they were helping,” he said standing in the food bank’s warehouse. “The food bank does a great job of making sure that every dollar goes to work as efficiently as possible. Being local, it means a lot to us as community members here to help them.”
A donation of $50,000, food bank Office Manager Claire Jones said, is “a big deal for us.” Though the check was presented this week, she said funds were made available shortly after the fundraiser ahead of the fall and winter months.
While that total alone can help, she said that Marathon is engaged with the food bank year-round — pointing to the recent donation in November of money for 400 turkeys and regular volunteerism by Marathon employees, among others.
“They reach out to us pretty consistently and help us all year-round,” she said. “I’m not even sure what we would do without that help.”
For more information about the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank, find “Kenai Peninsula Food Bank” on Facebook or visit kpfoodbank.org.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
