The “Linking Freedom” was developed to raise awareness of the problem of human trafficking and to help identify missing children in the area. This was the 16th annual event, which takes place in the host city of the Super Bowl and empowers the community, survivors and local nonprofits in the fight against human trafficking. Every year, missing children and victims of human trafficking are recovered because of this collaborative effort.

The event was supported by numerous community-focused groups including the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Human Trafficking Prevention and the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office.

In support of the program, Clipper Petroleum (Flowery Branch, GA) and Jet Food Stores (Sandersville, GA) dedicated thousands of dollars through fundraising events, TravelCenters of America provided funding for the development and distribution of community outreach material and bp raised $75,000 and awareness through its “Community Pump” program.

IOB created and funded the program Convenience Stores Against Trafficking (CSAT) in 2016, starting with one store in Bend, Oregon. Today, 43,300 convenience stores in all 50 states work with CSAT, with 850,000 convenience store staff trained to recognize and safely report the signs of human trafficking. NACS, CSAT and Ready Training Online (RTO) have collaborated on a free online training module, Community Heroes: C-Stores Stop Human Trafficking.

In addition, CSAT provides “Freedom Stickers,” which contain the National Human Trafficking Hotline number, to be posted in restroom stalls—often the only place a victim of human trafficking is alone and safe enough to reach out for help. More than one million Freedom Stickers have been distributed, mostly through convenience stores and even super-sized versions on fuel tankers.

“The country’s 152,000-plus convenience stores don’t just sell products and services that people enjoy; they make a difference in their communities and help address important national initiative groups at a local level,” said Jeff Lenard, NACS vice president of media and strategic communications, speaking at the event.

Traffickers often target major events like the Super Bowl to exploit vulnerable individuals, especially children. “Major events are directly linked to protecting children while celebrating team sports. Together, we can make a difference,” said Cheryl Csiky, executive director of In Our Backyard.

“Roughly half the U.S. population comes to a convenience store every day. Our industry is well equipped to share important messages in stores so that employees and customers can collectively create the equivalent of a neighborhood watch program in their communities. We are proud to work with our members, CSAT and the top leaders in the community to make a difference in people’s lives,” said Lenard.

About NACS
As the leading global trade association for convenience and fuel retailers, National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) advances the role of convenience stores as positive economic, social and philanthropic contributors to the communities they serve and is a trusted adviser to its retailer and supplier members from more than 50 countries. The U.S. convenience store industry, with more than 152,000 stores, conducts more than 160 million transactions daily and had sales of $860 billion in 2023. For more information, visit www.Convenience.org. Follow NACS on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

NACS Contact:
Jeff Lenard
V.P., Strategic Industry Initiatives
703-518-4272
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