During the holidays, it’s easy to get sidetracked in the hustle and bustle of shopping and travelling and doing all we can to round out the year.

But even with more on our minds (and our plates), it’s still a wonderful time to reconnect with family and friends, shower love on our children and show kindness to neighbors and strangers alike.

This is also a great time to reflect and give thanks — and not just for one fantastic Thursday in November, but for the entire holiday season.

Marathon Petroleum has much to be thankful for — outstanding employees, skilled contractors, a supportive community, strong partnerships with parish and religious leaders, countless freedoms protected by our U.S. service men and women, and quite simply, the opportunity to give back to our community and make a difference throughout the year.

In November, Marathon Petroleum was proud to support our local veterans by providing a donation to the Southeast Louisiana War Veterans Home in Reserve and by volunteering at the Annual Combat Marines Golf Outing.

We also participated in St. John Parish’s Veterans Day Parade and distributed Commemorative Challenge Coins (pictured) to all Marathon Petroleum employees who are veterans of the U.S. armed forces. These are our heroes and we couldn’t be prouder of them or more thankful for their service.

Also in November, we were thrilled to support two community events that provided Thanksgiving meals to over 1,500 of our neighbors in the parish. Our thanks to John Swafford, Eric Bourgeois, Lester Mitchell, the Cheffeen Wilson Milton Foundation, Reverend Dr. Freddie Howard, Mount Calvary Baptist Church, Poncho Roussel, Drew Cupit, St. Charles Catholic High School and many other companies, organizations, individuals and students for allowing us to partner with them on these incredibly uplifting activities.

The honor was and remains ours.

Looking ahead, we will continue to support our military in December by generating over 300 care packages for U.S. service men and women around the world. Marathon Petroleum employees will also support a local Christmas toy drive and arrange a very special visit from Santa Claus himself to the St. John Child Development Center and the Garyville/Mt. Airy Magnet Elementary School!

Once again, our thanks to L’OBSERVATEUR for affording us this great communication venue.

If you have any questions regarding our refinery’s operations or community outreach happenings, please contact us at 985-535-2241.

Thank you and happy holidays from Marathon Petroleum Company.

Jaime De La Cruz is a human resources manager for Marathon Petroleum. He can be reached at jjdelacruz@marathonpetroleum.com.