Oklahoma Convenience Store Helping Local Schools With Every Gas Sale

Sonny Patel is a long way from his native India. 

“Over there it’s crowded, and here is laid back life, nice and quiet," said Sonny, the co-owner of the Eagle Mart in Hennessey.

Sonny and his family moved to Chicago in 2003, then in 2011, when he and his brother Yash were looking to open their own business, a relative in Enid told them about this place for sale, the Eagle Mart in Hennessey. 

So, the Patel brothers left the windy city for, well, another windy city, and they’ve been cooking with gas ever since. 

“To be honest with you, I thought it would be a challenge in the beginning, but we did get good support since day one," said Sonny.

It’s that support that is now fueling philanthropy here. 

“We want to give something back to the community, and we decided we want to do something about school.” 

Sonny and his brother both have kids at Hennessey Elementary. 

In January, the Eagle Mart started donating a portion of every gas sale to Hennessey Schools. 

“It’s very important because of the COVID, everybody’s hurt, even the school gets hurt. It might help them," said Sonny.

The Eagle Mart is committed to donating through the end of the year, but Sonny said they will likely continue into 2022.