Gas station fuels fight against cancer

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Decked out in pink, from the pumps to its signs, GIVNGO in Freeport is a new gas station dedicated to fighting breast cancer.

The station, on West Merrick Road, is owned by brothers Danny and Emore Ocak. On Tuesday, the two held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening. Their slogan is simple: “Fuel 4 A Cause.” For every gallon of gasoline that the brothers sell, they donate a penny to the battle against breast cancer, which afflicts 1 in 9 Long Island women.

The event attracted a host of elected officials, including Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano. “What a great concept,” Mangano said, “to give back a penny a gallon to organizations that are going to make a difference here. As I’ve said time and time again, our neighbors always come out to help neighbors, and we really have probably one of the best communities here that step up to the plate to help charitable organizations.”

According to GIVNGO literature, if 100,000 gallons are pumped, $1,000 will be raised for local charities, including PinkTie.org, a Long Island charitable organization that is fighting breast cancer.

“We always had an idea of giving back to the community one way or another,” Emore said after the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “The best way we came up with is affiliating with [PinkTie.org] and giving back to the community. Every quarter we will donate funds to charities that are in need. The community has been great to us, and our sales are up. More sales mean more donations to be made. It’s a win-win situation for the community and us.”

The founders of PinkTie.org, Mike and Rich Cave, spoke about the organization’s commitment to the Freeport community in the fight against cancer. In the next two years, GIVNGO plans to open 10 more gas stations throughout the country to help fund cancer research.  

“The money always stays where it’s raised,” Rich Cave said of PinkTie.org. “With the GIVNGO station in Freeport … those funds will stay in Freeport. It’s a hyper-local way of raising money.”