Fuel the Care helps families on the road to recovery - Program helps cover fuel costs for families required to travel for their children's medical care

PORTSMOUTH, NH, Oct. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ - Irving Oil's Fuel the Care program is marking a significant milestone this year: more than 40,000 families from across Atlantic Canada and New England have now been helped by this program. This milestone coincides with the program's 11^th anniversary. Fuel the Care provides fuel cards to families with a child facing critical health care challenges.

"Our two-year old son Mason has Down's Syndrome, which means we have a lot more doctors' visits than we could have ever dreamed of; having help from Irving Oil's Fuel the Care program has helped us so much," says Rhianon Glidden of Proctorsville, Vermont. "We used to worry about how we were going to have money for gas to get to his appointments. But thanks to Fuel the Care, we no longer have to worry about that."

Social Workers at the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (CHaD) in New Hampshire and other partner hospitals in New England and Atlantic Canada work directly with patient families to help assess their needs and access Fuel the Care. "We see first-hand the impact that this program has on families experiencing tremendous stress and worry," says Jennifer Rupp, a Child Life Specialist at CHaD. "It makes our role a little easier to be able to offer assistance to families in need, so they can focus on what's most important - being together and helping their children."

Fuel the Care Program partner hospitals in New England and Atlantic Canada include: the Eastern Maine Healthcare Network in Maine and the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (CHaD) in New Hampshire. The Saint John Regional Hospital in Saint John, New Brunswick; the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia; the Janeway Child Health and Rehabilitation Centre in St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador.

"It's hard to imagine anything more worrying than having a sick child in the hospital, and it's a privilege to be able to provide a degree of support to families in this situation," says Paul Browning, President & CEO of Irving Oil. "We are deeply committed to Fuel the Care, which helps remove at least one small worry for families who have more important matters to focus on."

On Irving Oil's Facebook page, users are encouraged to add their support to Fuel the Care; by simply sharing the Fuel the Care message on their own page, users will be entered to win a $500 Irving Oil gift card  and Irving Oil will contribute an extra $25 to the Fuel the Care program. For more information about Fuel the Care, visit www.facebook.com/irvingoil.

About Irving Oil

Irving Oil is a privately owned regional energy and marketing company that provides Eastern Canada and New England with high-quality products and customer service. Founded in 1924 and based in Saint John, NB, Irving Oil maintains a strong tradition of committed community service and partnerships through programs in healthcare, the environment, education and youth sports. For more information about Irving Oil and its community programs, please visit us at www.irvingoil.com or follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/irvingoil.

SOURCE Irving Oil