Marathon Petroleum : Detroit refinery fuels Salvation Army

In the midst of a polar vortex that brought some of the coldest temperatures on record, MPC's Detroit refinery reached out in support of its neighbors via the Salvation Army of Metro Detroit's Bed & Bread Club^®.

'Bed & Bread is a program through which the Salvation Army provides food and shelter to Detroit's hungry and homeless,' noted Senior HR Consultant Cam Thoroughman. 'We have supported those efforts for several years, most recently making a 6,000-gallon fuel donation toward food delivery. With temperatures reaching -20°F - and the wind-chill factor taking them much lower - we also contributed 500 meals toward ensuring the Salvation Army had plenty of food to distribute.'

With the help of MPC, other donors and sponsors, the Salvation Army annually provides about 133,000 nights of shelter and serves about 1.4 million meals to Detroit-area men, women and children. Meals are comprised of soup, sandwiches, fruit and snacks.

Bed & Bread truck drivers travel 51 routes on a daily basis, regardless of the weather - and three of those routes are next to the refinery, according to Thoroughman. 'Hunger doesn't take a break due to inclement weather, and neither does the Salvation Army,' he said. 'People count on them to be there, and they are.

'The Salvation Army's sole purpose is to help people going through tough times. We are pleased to be able to support those efforts.'

The Detroit refinery's fuel donation was made at the 32nd Annual Bed & Bread Club Radiothon in downtown Detroit.​