Foundation’s event a day to give generously

THE APCO Foundation will be urging the community to dig deep next week for its first Giving Day, which will support those in need not only in Geelong but also across Victoria.

The not-for-profit organisation associated with the independent fuel chain is celebrating its 10th year in 2023 and is marking the occasion by announcing Tuesday, July 25 as the date for Giving Day, where all donations to the APCO Foundation will be matched by its corporate and trade partners.

Customers can buy a virtual heart, scan a QR code in store, or donate via the APCO Foundation website.

APCO Foundation chair Sharon Gleeson – whose parents Ron and Margaret Anderson started the APCO chain in 1968 – launched the APCO Foundation in 2013 with her sisters Mary Anne Carew, Jennifer Brennan and Christine Healy.

The foundation’s existing annual events include the Geelong Wine Walk, Race for a Reason and Golfing for Good, but Mrs Gleeson said the 10-year milestone inspired “an extra fundraising day as an extra-special thing this year”.

“So, on Giving Day, if you give a dollar, it becomes $2. And if you give $2, it becomes $4, and $5 becomes $10.”

Over the decade, the APCO has Foundation donated about $1.5 million to individuals, families, projects, and local community charities helping thousands of people in need.

Locally supported organisations include Read the Play, Meli, Wombat’s Wish, Cottage by the Sea and Feed Me Bellarine.

The foundation raises funds from within the Victorian communities where its service stations are located and allocates them on a monthly basis via its volunteer board, with key areas including health, education, poverty, and disaster relief.

This has seen the foundation give directly to families and individuals directly affected by bushfires, COVID-19 and most recently flood events.

“There’s a lot more people in need at the moment, the past few months have been pretty difficult for families, and requests have really doubled from people who are really struggling,” Mrs Gleeson said.

“The beauty of our foundation is that we help people immediately when they come – they don’t have to go through red tape and have loss of dignity, or fill out 25 sheets of paper and wait three months to get some money.”

For more information or to donate, head to apcofoundation.com.au/giving-day