Lake Charles Refinery Funds Sulphur Food Pantry

Local food pantry clients in western Calcasieu and Cameron parishes gain $15,000 in grocery funding.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Philanthropy

Lake Charles Refinery Funds Sulphur Food Pantry

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CITGO's Lake Charles Refinery donated $15,000 to Care Help of Sulphur to support its food pantry during Hunger Action Month. TeamCITGO volunteers also spent a day helping with pantry operations and the Backpack Blessing program.

Why it matters

The gift addresses food insecurity in southwest Louisiana, where Care Help has provided crisis assistance for more than 40 years. For local businesses, it illustrates how corporate giving tied to a named awareness month can be directed at a specific local nonprofit and paired with employee volunteering.

The $15,000 contribution from the CITGO Lake Charles Refinery supports a food pantry serving more than 500 households, or about 1,800 individuals, each month. The pantry is the largest in western Calcasieu Parish and also serves Cameron Parish.

The players

CITGO Petroleum Corporation

CITGO operates a petroleum refining, marketing, and logistics business, and its Lake Charles Refinery is one of its major U.S. refining assets.

Care Help of Sulphur

Care Help is a local nonprofit in Sulphur, Louisiana, that has provided crisis assistance to area residents for more than 40 years and operates a client-choice food pantry.

Simón Bolívar Foundation

The Simón Bolívar Foundation is a CITGO-linked charitable foundation that funds humanitarian programs in Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador.

The details

The donation will help purchase groceries for Care Help's client-choice food pantry, which lets households select their own items. TeamCITGO volunteers stocked shelves, packaged rice for distribution, and supported the Backpack Blessing program, which provides single-serving food items to students facing food insecurity on weekends. The refinery's gift is part of a broader CITGO initiative during Hunger Action Month.

Hunger Action Month: CITGO announced the $15,000 donation to Care Help.
Each month: Care Help's pantry serves more than 500 households.

Market Landscape

Corporate giving timed to Hunger Action Month is a common pattern among large employers that pair cash gifts with employee volunteer days. The CITGO gift follows that approach by directing funds to a single local pantry while also reporting a broader foundation reach.

Operators in the region should note that employer giving tied to a named awareness month can be a practical way to build community ties with local nonprofits. Businesses considering similar programs should review the tax treatment of charitable contributions with a qualified accountant.

The takeaway

Employers looking to replicate this model can contact local food pantries directly to learn what staples they need most. Tracking how many households a donation serves gives a concrete measure of impact for future giving decisions.