Written by Catherine Reheis-Boyd

There’s no denying that this is an unprecedented time in the world. Every day I find myself thinking about my family, our industry, the economy and the countless essential workers supporting communities across the country – and world.

One thing that has brought me some comfort through all of this is seeing how everyday people, governments and the business community are stepping up to make sure we all feel as safe as possible. And the Western States Petroleum Association is proud to join the broad effort of support.

At WSPA, we want to build upon the impactful support and relief efforts our member companies are proudly engaging in by providing direct support to those men and women who are braving the world each day to make sure patients are cared for, food and goods are delivered and the services we need to be productive and safe are reliably provided.

With that spirit in mind, our team has been working with community leaders across California, Nevada and Washington to identify those workers and organizations. From Santa Barbara to Seattle we’ve partnered with elected officials, local governments, health systems and the non-profit community to distribute more than $50,000 in gift cards.

Low-income seniors in Kern County received meals and gift cards while the volunteer drivers didn’t have to worry about paying for gas to transport them the relief.  Medical staff and frontline workers in Contra Costa, Kern, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Skagit and Ventura counties received cards to help get to and from work safely and reliably. $3,000 in gift cards were delivered to Centro CHA in Southern California. And in Nevada, through the purchase of meals from local family restaurants, breakfast is being delivered to park custodians who are disinfecting park facilities daily.

We’ve enjoyed hearing from some of the organizations we’ve supported and it’s the recipients of these cards who we will continue to keep the focus on. There is Power in Everybody.

Catherine Reheis-Boyd is the President of the Western States Petroleum Association and oversees the trade organization’s operations and advocacy in five states. You can follow her on Twitter @WSPAprez.