Fuel Good Day Fuels Support For Local Schools Across Cornerstone Co-op Communities

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Drivers pulling up to Cornerstone Co-op Gas Bars in Vermilion, Wainwright and St. Paul on September 15 were doing more than filling their tanks; they were helping support students in their own communities.

Fuel Good Day returned Tuesday, with a minimum of five cents from every litre of gasoline and diesel purchased at the participating Co-op Gas Bars directed to local organizations. This year, Cornerstone Co-op chose three schools as the beneficiaries of its Fuel Good Day efforts, with Vermilion Elementary School, Wainwright Elementary School and Glenavon School in St. Paul each receiving support from their respective communities.

In Vermilion, the day brought an added sense of community to the pumps as local dignitaries, and members of the VES Hot Lunch Program, joined Cornerstone Co-op staff to help pump fuel greet customers, and sell cookies throughout the event.

The fundraising effort began before Fuel Good Day itself. Vermilion Cornerstone Co-op Gas Bar Manager Dom Hickey had been handing out pre-order forms for the popular Fuel Good Day cookies, giving residents another opportunity to support Vermilion Elementary School. Parents and students of VES and the other schools also helped decorate the cookies. Fifty cents from each cookie sold at the Vermilion location were added to the funds raised for the school.

The same approach was taken in Wainwright and St. Paul, where cookie sales provided an additional boost to the money generated at the pumps.

This year’s event carried some extra significance for Co-op, marking 10 years of Fuel Good Day.

Launched in 2016, the annual initiative has grown into a major community fundraiser across Western Canada. While each participating Co-op chooses organizations within the communities it serves, the idea remains simple: turn an everyday stop at the gas pump into an opportunity to give back locally.

Over the years, those nickels per litre have added up.

Since Fuel Good Day began, more than $5.6 million has been raised for hundreds of organizations across Western Canada, supporting causes ranging from schools and food banks to healthcare organizations, firefighter associations, community centres, animal shelters and sports clubs.

The program reached a new milestone in 2025 when Co-op members and customers raised more than $795,000 for 200 local organizations and causes — the highest amount raised during a single Fuel Good Day.

For Cornerstone Co-op, Tuesday’s event once again demonstrated how quickly small contributions can grow when entire communities get behind a cause. Whether residents filled a vehicle, stopped in for cookies or simply helped spread the word, each contribution helped direct money back to schools serving local children.

With Vermilion, Wainwright and St. Paul all taking part, Fuel Good Day gave customers across the Cornerstone Co-op trading area an opportunity to support a school close to home while taking care of something as routine as filling the tank.

This year’s Fuel Good Day and cookie sales has not yet been released. Stay tuned for the final numbers in the next week or so.