The Philosophy Behind Family Express’ Community Impact

Family Express takes a grassroots approach to community engagement, working with a variety of local organizations to help as often as possible.

Valparaiso, Ind.-based Family Express has taken the idea of engaging with the local community and turned it into an everyday part of the company’s identity. Designed to say “yes,” Family Express’ commitment to its community is embedded deeply into its culture.

Through immediate-support efforts such as in-kind donations, long-term investments including sponsorships, and sustainable giving through food redistribution and waste-reduction partnerships, the 84-store chain has built a community engagement model focused on listening, responding and consistently being present for those in its communities.

CStore Decisions is recognizing Family Express with a Philanthropy and Community Engagement Award for its efforts in this area over the last year.

Community Support Efforts

Family Express’ community support includes schools and learning centers through teacher appreciation events, robotics programs, field days, theater productions, academic events and youth athletics; first responder organizations through donations, training support, emergency response assistance, memorial programs and community events; veteran organizations through food assistance programs, treatment courts, recognition events and Veterans Day initiatives; and food pantries, youth programs, parks, libraries, camps and local nonprofits providing direct support to those in need.

“It’s really an everyday initiative,” said Alex Olympidis, president of operations, Family Express. “(For example), first responders come to our stores as they’re out on the road, and we’ve designed a system that is about saying ‘yes,’ and as they’re out on the road, (we) want to provide not only the big things that they need, but the little things as well, whether that be a free cup of Java Wave coffee or a free car wash.”

Beyond first responders, Family Express is deeply committed to veterans’ causes, stemming from the multitude of veterans in the organization.

“Anytime that a first responder or veteran is looking for something to brighten their day, we want to be there for them,” said Olympidis.

This past year, Family Express donated over 1,300 bakery items to educators during teacher appreciation events across 130 schools; provided over 6,300 bottles of water to first responder organizations; promoted more than 70 community and school recognition messages across its electronic message boards; and continued long-term partnerships with organizations such as YMCA, the MAAC (Multi Agency Academic Cooperative) Foundation first-responder training centers and food pantry redistribution programs.

“Our long-term partnerships come from a longstanding history of highly tenured employees in our workforce that have continually said, ‘The YMCA is important to us,’ or ‘The veterans’ causes are important to us,’” said Olympidis. “Really, it’s not about me, and it’s not about any one individual. Frankly, we’re supporting causes that, as individuals, (we) may not think of first or ever.”

As a result, Family Express greatly values the causes important to its employees.

“When we have a cause, when a brand-new hire in our pass or fail orientation class, four-day training, says, ‘You know what’s really important to me? …’ We try to say yes,” said Olympidis.

Measuring Community Impact

Community engagement is not measured in dollars donated at Family Express but in relationships built, communities strengthened and trust earned from showing up every year.

For Olympidis, knowing that organizations or groups will know to call Family Express because the chain earned that trust is special.

For example, if he sees a classroom at his child’s school stocked with Family Express water, he knows “it’s because we said yes before, and they say, ‘Aha! Family Express will be there for us.’”

Some of Family Express’ most-meaningful contributions are simpler acts, such as first responders receiving meals after emotionally difficult calls or a child receiving recognition through a library reading program.

“Our whole ethos has been: This is about you the community. This is about you the employee. … And maybe it’s not going to solve the big problem, but it’s going to be 1,000 little points of light throughout the year that make something particularly special,” said Olympidis.

Additionally, it’s operationally easier for Family Express to engage in many smaller community moments because it is centrally located.

“That’s one of our advantages as an exclusively Hoosier company. We can really be in the communities that we’re in, and because we’re tightly located and it’s not four states away, our distribution center — with our water and our fresh-baked doughnuts from Cravin’s Bakery — is sometimes on the way (to where the items are being donated),” Olympidis elaborated.

Family Express’ community engagement is centered on reliability and the ability to earn the trust of so many organizations, which further integrates its philanthropy into the day-to-day operations of the chain.

Its grassroots approach to philanthropy within the c-store industry has given the local communities a surety of support from Family Express. The chain’s relationships are rooted in trust and community connection, and its efforts create lasting and meaningful impact.

The culture of “yes” “isn’t new for Family Express. The only thing that’s new is the scale in which we’re doing it as our company has evolved and grown,” said Olympidis.