Cumberland Farms Launches 5th Annual Cups for Kids Campaign to Raise Funds for Pediatric Care Programs

FRAMINGHAM, Mass., Aug. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, leading convenience, gasoline, and coffee retailer Cumberland Farms launches its 5^th annual Cups for Kids campaign, a month-long fundraiser that will benefit pediatric care programs at five children's hospitals throughout the Northeast – including Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center. During the entire month of August, five cents from every iced coffee or Chill Zone beverages including HYPERFREEZE™ beverages purchased at specified retail locations will go directly to participating hospitals. To kick off the campaign, Cumberland Farms hosted an event last week at Jillian's in Boston, where patients and families from each hospital gathered for a private celebration complete with bowling and games before attending the Boston Red Sox vs. Detroit Tigers game.

"We are so proud to have reached the five year milestone with Cups for Kids," said Ari Haseotes, CEO of Cumberland Farms. "We started this initiative as a way for our communities to come together in support of the exceptional work that our hospital partners do to give our children the ability to lead healthy lives - and in our first four years we have donated a total of $425,000 to help our partners meet their goals. We encourage our communities to frequent their local Cumberland Farms store this August so that we can contribute even more this year to support the incredible, life-saving work that these hospitals do."

In Massachusetts, Cumberland Farms will again be partnering with Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center, a full service children's hospital in Boston with a mission to improve the lives of children and their families. Throughout the month of August, five cents from every iced coffee purchased at participating Cumberland Farms in Massachusetts will go directly to the hospital. Representing Floating Hospital for Children throughout the Cups For Kids fundraiser is patient, Ashlynn Hull of Dracut, Massachusetts. Ashlynn was diagnosed with meduloblastoma, a cancerous brain tumor, at only two years old. For the past 10 years, Ashlynn has endured multiple relapses, rigorous treatments, many surgeries, a stem cell transplant, radiation and too many medications to count. Throughout it all, Ashlynn has kept a positive attitude and a big smile on her face, inspiring all those around her. The staff at Floating Hospital has not only treated Ashlynn, but has gone above and beyond to create as much normalcy as possible for her during her hospital stays. She's like any other 12 year old girl -she loves music, art, Scooby-Doo and of course, boys!

"The doctors, nurses and staff at Floating Hospital for Children are like my family," said Ashlynn Hull. "I am excited to be a part of Cups for Kids this year to give back, thank them and help them help other kids like they've done for me."

"We are thrilled to partner with Cumberland Farms once again this year to raise critical funds for Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center," said Rashed Durgham, MD, Interim Chief Administrative Officer and Pediatrician-in-Chief at Floating Hospital. "Your purchase of an iced coffee at participating Cumberland Farms stores throughout August, helps support facility upgrades, leading edge research and training for the next generation of skilled, compassionate physicians, nurses and clinical staff, who deliver top notch care to our pediatric patients every single day."

A total of five hospitals in the Northeast will be participating in this year's Cups for Kids fundraiser:

• Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center – Iced Coffee
• Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock – Iced Coffee
• Bernard & Millie Duker Children's Hospital at Albany Medical Center - Chill Zone Beverages
• Connecticut Children's Medical Center - Chill Zone Beverages
• Barbara Bush Hospital at Maine Medical Center - Chill Zone Beverages

For more on Cups For Kids, please visit https://www.cumberlandfarms.com/company/doing-good/cups-for-kids. To join the conversation, follow Cumberland Farms on Twitter and Instagram @CumberlandFarms, and use #CupsforKids.

About Cumberland Farms

Cumberland Farms makes life easier for busy people every day. What started in 1939 with a cow and a dream has grown into a network of convenience stores across 8 states. Three generations later, Cumberland Farms is still family owned and operated, and continues to reflect the values it was built upon: envisioning a better way to serve customers by providing the best possible products at the best possible prices. Whether you're buying a cold Chill Zone drink, a hot or iced cup of Farmhouse Blend Coffee, or filling the gas tank, convenience and customer service are key. Cumberland Farms also has a long heritage of giving back to the communities where it operates, from feeding the hungry to supporting local sports teams and fundraising. For more information, please visit us at http://www.cumberlandfarms.com or follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cumberlandfarms.

About Tufts Medical Center
Tufts Medical Center is an exceptional, not-for-profit, 415-bed academic medical center that is home to both a full-service hospital for adults and Floating Hospital for Children. Conveniently located in downtown Boston, the Medical Center is the principal teaching hospital for Tufts University School of Medicine. Floating Hospital for Children is the full-service children's hospital of Tufts Medical Center and the principal pediatric teaching hospital of Tufts University School of Medicine. Tufts Medical Center is affiliated with the New England Quality Care Alliance, a network of nearly 1,800 physicians throughout Eastern Massachusetts. For more information, please visit www.tuftsmedicalcenter.org or www.floatinghospital.org.

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SOURCE Cumberland Farms

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