Jul. 6—WILKES-BARRE — Gas, giveaways and gratitude were all flowing Thursday at the Grand Opening of the newest area Sheetz at 815 Kidder St.

The store is the seventh Sheetz to open in Luzerne County said Nick Ruffner, public relations manager for Sheetz.

"This store opening is further evidence that customers in Luzerne County have been very good to us," Ruffner said. "Just look at this crowd."

There were hundreds of customers at the ceremony and the parking lot and gas pumps were full all day. Customers were treated to free self-serve coffee and soda for the entire grand opening day.

The grand opening festivities began outside the store at 9 a.m., with multiple prizes awarded, including a grand prize giveaway of "free Sheetz for a Year" — that $2,500 prize went to Gerald Pender of Plymouth Township.

Sara Femea won a $250 gift card.

The new store — Sheetz store #780 — opened at 8 a.m. and Ruffner said, "Once the store opened, it will never close." The store is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

It includes a restaurant-style experience with self-service kiosks and seating both inside and outside the store.

"The new store has slightly over 6,000 square feet, and includes 12 fuel terminals and a drive-thru for customers that are on the go," Ruffner said. "Sheetz has always had a great relationship with Luzerne County and the community."

Commitment to community

Ruffner said the Sheetz familiar and corporation are deeply committed to the communities they serve and in honor of this grand opening, Sheetz donated $2,500 to the H & J Weinberg Northeast Pennsylvania Regional Food Bank, a Feeding America organization that distributes more than 14 million pounds of food each year in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Susquehanna and Wyoming counties.

Gretchen Hunt, director of resource development for the Commission On Economic Opportunity's Weinberg Food Bank, accepted the check.

"This greatly helps our ability to distribute healthy food to families in need," Hunt said. "Every time Sheetz open a new store, they donate to our food bank. Since the partnership began, Sheetz has allowed us to purchase more than 12,000 pounds of food to be distributed to area families in need."

Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown welcomed Sheetz to the city and added, "Can we see three or four more of these open in the city?"

Sheetz is not the only new business that will be opening along Kidder Street. Last week, Bill Harris, Wilkes-Barre City's Planning & Zoning Director, said Starbucks intends to build a new store on the site of the former Long John Silver's, which has been demolished. Harris also said Denny's plans to locate a restaurant on the land between Sheetz and where Starbucks is building.

Helping children across Pa.

Customers attending the grand opening were encouraged to donate a non-perishable food item to the non-profit. Those who donated received a Sheetz branded thermal bag, limit one per customer while supplies last.

A second donation of $2,500 was presented to the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania. Ruffner said Sheetz has been a proud supporter of the Special Olympics for more than 30 years, Sheetz also extends its support to the organization through product donations and event volunteers.

Heather Schreiner, Special Olympics regional executive director, accepted the check and she brought several Special Olympics athletes to the ceremony.

Janette DePamphilis, Aaron Keller and Daniel Morales said they have competed in the Special Olympics for years and have enjoyed the experience.

"I have learned to turn my disability into an ability," DePamphilis said.

Keller added, "We have enjoyed experiences that we will never forget."

And Morales added, "We have learned to be what we want to be by participating in Special Olympics."

Ruffner said Sheetz has helped more than 11,000 children across Pennsylvania.

Included in the latest "Companies that Care" list by Great Place to Work and PEOPLE Magazine, Ruffner said Sheetz is committed to supporting the local communities it serves.

Ruffner said Sheetz was also ranked third in the most recent Best Workplaces in Retail list by Fortune, trailing only Wegmans Food Markets and Target.

Named a Best Regional Fast Food Chain by USA TODAY's 10Best Readers' Choice travel awards, Sheetz will offer its award-winning Made-to-Order (MTO) menu at this location where customers can order any of Sheetz's customized specialty drinks or food items around the clock.

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Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.