Tips at Esso Petawawa to be donated to food Bank

By Patricia Leboeuf | May 14, 2020 | Local

Three people pose in front of Esso gas station

(Left to right) Petawawa Esso co-owners Jordan Radford and Keri Radford, and volunteer Jack Lapierre pose in front of the gas station pumps. Lapierre is donating all his tips to the Petawawa Pantry Food Bank. He will then double the sum with his own donation, which will then be matched by the Radfords. (Photo by Patricia Leboeuf, Petawawa Post)

With the Covid-19 pandemic affecting travel, local gas stations are seeing substantially less business at their pumps.

For Keri Radford, Esso Petawawa co-owner and operator, that meant making the difficult decision to lay off staff members during this time of uncertainty. The decision has left her, and fellow co-owner Jordan Radford, scrambling to serve the clients who still come to their business.

Seeing them exhausted, long-time customer and friend Jack Lapierre decided to step up three times a week and offer a hand, relying on his experience as a teenager pumping gas. But being a retired firefighter and owner of his own business, he did not need the tips people insisted on giving him.

Instead, he decided to save this money in a jar to later give to the Petawawa Pantry Food Bank. He plans to double that amount with his own funds while Radford plans on matching that subsequent donation.

Every cent collected will be given to this charitable organization, and Lapierre hopes to collect at least $100 by the end of May.

“We’ve decided to give back to the community for the support they have given us during this time,” said Radford

The food bank has a special place in both their hearts, and they have seen the growing need as people struggle to make ends meet in this unprecedented time in history.

Radford has a history of supporting the local community when possible, and this donation is part and parcel of what she believes in.

“It isn’t all about us,” said Radford. “We are in this community. The dollars that come into this gas station go back into this community.”

The amount from the tip jar is growing every day, and Lapierre is certain he will meet his mininum sooner rather than later.

“People are really generous here,” he said.

He doesn’t consider what he’s doing anything special. He’s just volunteering his time to help a friend in need, and then further helping out the community with whatever he can collect.

“People do like doing good stuff,” said Lapierre. “Sometimes, they don’t always have the opportunity. I don’t see this as me doing anything that other people wouldn’t do. I just had the opportunity to do it.

Without him, however, Radford admits that she would have found herself struggling.

“We are really reliant on Jack’s energy and positive attitude to be the face of Esso and make people feel welcome and that they don’t need to be afraid,” said Radford.

The deadline for the food bank donation has not been set yet, and this full-serve Esso is located at 3416 Petawawa Blvd.