The NACS Foundation established 24/7 Day in 2019 to recognize first responders and raise money for the American Red Cross. Seven years later, invested retailers are making the annual event a true opportunity to honor hometown heroes, establish themselves as pillars of their communities and build a presence beyond the products they sell.

“24/7 Day unites convenience stores across America in recognizing first responders, medical personnel and American Red Cross volunteers who work around the clock, 24/7, to serve our communities to ensure people don’t face emergencies alone,” said Kevin O’Connell, executive director of the NACS Foundation. “The annual event helps raise awareness and donations for the urgent humanitarian needs of the American Red Cross and spotlights our industry’s important role in supporting local heroes and the communities we serve.”

In 2024, the NACS Foundation had its most participation yet with more than 80 retailers and industry suppliers taking part in the event, accounting for more than 30,000 convenience store locations across the United States. As of April 2025, a record 87 retailers and suppliers are planning to participate this year. The theme for this summer’s event is “We see you, we thank you.” The event takes place every year on July 24.

“Each and every retailer is able to uniquely tailor its offer, given that each community faces crises differently,” said O’Connell. “We have some retailers who deliver warm meals to first responders at their station house, visiting them in the same way those emergency personnel often visit the retailers at their stores. Others take to social media and engage the community in recognizing local heroes or hold in-store celebrations.”

Building Momentum

While many retailers take part by providing free treats, drinks or company swag to the first responders who visit their stores, increasingly, many plan ahead to think of other ways to make the day special for local heroes.

Mid-Atlantic-based High’s, for example, has added new elements to its 24/7 Day celebration each year since first taking part in 2020.

“We’ve had people reach out via our Contact Us form on our website. They’re asking, ‘Are you guys going to do that again this year?’” said Senior Vice President Michele Truelove. As a result, “We’re super excited to get going,” she said in early April.

During its first three years of 24/7 Day, High’s offered first responders who came into a store in uniform or identified themselves a free cup of coffee or a fountain drink.

In the small towns where High’s does business, Truelove noted, most store employees already know who the local police or firefighters are. But Truelove’s gut told her they could do more, so she brought her team together to brainstorm ideas.

“All of us agreed that it needed some type of community outreach and that would be really beneficial not just for High’s in general but for 24/7 Day itself,” she said.

The result was Hometown Heroes, a recognition program that “definitely boomed in the process.”

Getting Swaggy With It

In addition to awarding each High’s Hometown Hero with a trophy and certificate of recognition, each winner also received a swag bag full of goodies. Just what goes into those bags? To start, the bag itself is a reuseable High’s-branded cooler bag. In year one of the program, they were filled with:

• Numerous High’s-branded treats

• A $50 High’s gift card

• Coupons for future purchases

Following the success of the campaign in 2024, this year’s swag bags will get juiced up through partnerships with vendors.

“We have a vendor who wants to fund a larger gift card for the Hometown Heroes. Others are providing sample products to include,” said Michele Truelove, senior vice president of High’s. “Having vendors get involved is going to make that more fun for the heroes. ... This year, we really want to highlight our supporters and our vendors.”

Honoring Local Heroes

High’s Hometown Heroes campaign debuted in 2024, when the company launched a social media campaign to recognize and honor first responders. Using Facebook, Instagram and text messages—and working with templated graphics provided by the NACS Foundation—High’s asked customers and store employees to nominate first responders they felt deserved to be named a hero in their community. High’s also ran a roundup campaign on 24/7 Day for the American Red Cross.

“We weren’t sure if we would get any nominations for the awards, but we felt sure that we would be able to hit the heartstring on someone out there to recognize just a sampling of hometown heroes that are in the communities that we operate in,” Truelove said. “We got almost 40 nominations last year! ... As they started flowing in, you could feel the excitement build here in the High’s office. We were excited to collect them.”

Having committed to recognizing 10 heroes, the High’s leadership team reviewed the nominations and chose winners across its 52-store geographic area. Winners were awarded a trophy, swag bag and kind words from a company representative on July 24 (or as close as possible). Every nominee received a certificate commemorating their nomination.

Winners, their families and friends were deeply touched, Truelove said. And the effort was just the beginning. High’s shared each winner’s story with the local media and further recognized each winning community member in social media posts using the hashtag #HighsHometownHero. The social media messages reached nearly three times the usual number of views for a High’s post. Positive news coverage further spread the company’s message.

“Watching a post come out weekly for each hometown hero and people sharing or commenting, ‘That’s my mom!’ or ‘That’s my dad!’ was the gift that kept on giving for quite a few weeks,” Truelove said.

O’Connell at the NACS Foundation said the 80 retailers and suppliers who participated in 24/7 Day in 2024 garnered nearly 236 million impressions online and 210 media outlets ran stories about the programs.

We want to scream from the rooftops the entire month of July: High’s honors our Hometown Heroes!”

Preparing for 2025

The First Responder of the Year—for the First Time

This year, the NACS Foundation invites suppliers and retailers across the country to nominate their local hometown heroes for the inaugural First Responder of the Year award.

The First Responder of the Year Award recognizes the unwavering dedication, courage and service of first responders who go above and beyond to protect and support their communities. Presented on behalf of the convenience store industry and the NACS Foundation, this award highlights the shared commitment of responders and suppliers to honor those who serve 24/7.

This year, we will recognize outstanding first responder(s)—especially those who played a critical role in disaster response during Hurricane Helene and the L.A. wildfires—on 24/7 Day (July 24). Through this award, the convenience industry proudly stands behind those who answer the call, ensuring they receive the appreciation they deserve.

Contact Kevin O’Connell, executive director of the NACS Foundation, at koconnell@convenience.org, for more information.

With such great results, High’s is eager to ramp up its 24/7 Day and Hometown Hero efforts this year.

“We’re taking it a step further. We’re going to honor more heroes; we’ve committed to 25,” Truelove said. “We also partnered with our vendors [and challenged them to help us] make it bigger. We want to scream from the rooftops the entire month of July: High’s honors our Hometown Heroes!”

The campaign will include requesting nominations on in-store signage and possibly creating employee uniforms that promote the program.

“We’ve asked, ‘Do you want to sponsor that?’ And the vendors are just super excited to take part in it,” said Truelove.

In addition, High’s is brainstorming ways to raise more money for the American Red Cross, beginning with donating 30 cents from every single-serve bottle of High’s water sold during the entire month of July. It’s all part of the retailer’s goal of connecting with the community.

“We [take part in] a lot of events. We do a lot of fairs. If something is going on down the street, we want to be part of it,” Truelove said. “For us, it’s important to really connect with the communities that we’re in, to be a part of what they’re doing. It’s one of the goals of our mission statement. ... So I am very proud of High’s, of the team and of everything that they did to really jump on [the concept of 24/7 Day] and say, ‘This is important to all of us.’”

O’Connell noted that other retailers are seeing similar opportunities for 24/7 Day, as well. HOP Shops, a 14-store retailer based in Owensboro, Kentucky, “brought the store to local firehouses” in 2024, delivering a variety of hot foods and cold beverages to firefighters.

“This event truly highlighted the strong bond we have with our community and the unwavering commitment of our employees,” said HOP Shops General Manager Kelly Smith. “It’s one of our favorite events now.”

It’s that two-way-street nature of the event that makes it great, according to O’Connell. “We’re not only recognizing first responders and doing something good for the community, but the next level that we’re unlocking is employee engagement and morale building for your company,” he said.

Truelove added: “It’s really about getting out there and saying, ‘High’s sees you, and we want to be a part of your community.’ I think for a lot of businesses, convenience stores, or any retail, that’s a struggle for everyone: How do you find your place inside that community?”

“We’re super excited to host Hometown Heroes again this year,” she continued. “The buzz is already going around here.”

How to Participate

This July 24 will herald the seventh annual 24/7 Day, recognizing local police, firefighters, medical personnel, American Red Cross volunteers and others who work tirelessly to keep neighborhoods and residents safe.

The annual event helps raise awareness and donations for the urgent humanitarian needs of the American Red Cross and spotlights the c-store industry’s important role in supporting local heroes and the communities they serve.

To learn more or get involved, contact Kevin O’Connell, executive director of the NACS Foundation, at koconnell@convenience.org.