A large crowd turned out Thursday morning for the Grand Opening of the new Sheetz store at 215 Wyoming Ave., Wyoming.
                                 Bill O’Boyle | Times Leader

A large crowd turned out Thursday morning for the Grand Opening of the new Sheetz store at 215 Wyoming Ave., Wyoming.

Bill O’Boyle | Times Leader

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<p>Sheetz welcomed customers by offering free self-serve coffee and soda for the entire day.</p>
                                 <p>Bill O’Boyle | Times Leader</p>

Sheetz welcomed customers by offering free self-serve coffee and soda for the entire day.

Bill O’Boyle | Times Leader

<p>Sheetz presented a check for $2,500 to the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania during the store’s grand opening Thursday at 215 Wyoming Ave., Wyoming.</p>
                                 <p>Bill O’Boyle | Times Leader</p>

Sheetz presented a check for $2,500 to the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania during the store’s grand opening Thursday at 215 Wyoming Ave., Wyoming.

Bill O’Boyle | Times Leader

<p>Sheetz presented a check for $2,500 to the Weinberg Food Bank during Thursday morning’s grand opening at 215 Wyoming Ave., Wyoming.</p>
                                 <p>Bill O’Boyle | Times Leader</p>

Sheetz presented a check for $2,500 to the Weinberg Food Bank during Thursday morning’s grand opening at 215 Wyoming Ave., Wyoming.

Bill O’Boyle | Times Leader

<p>With RailRiders mascot Champ looking on, Sheetz officials cut a ribbon to officially open its new store at 215 Wyoming Ave., Wyoming, on Thursday morning.</p>
                                 <p>Bill O’Boyle | Times Leader</p>

With RailRiders mascot Champ looking on, Sheetz officials cut a ribbon to officially open its new store at 215 Wyoming Ave., Wyoming, on Thursday morning.

Bill O’Boyle | Times Leader

<p>Angela Tobisch of Jenkins Township was the winner of ‘Sheetz for a Year’ — a value of $2,500 in a Sheetz gift card. </p>
                                 <p>Bill O’Boyle | Times Leader</p>

Angela Tobisch of Jenkins Township was the winner of ‘Sheetz for a Year’ — a value of $2,500 in a Sheetz gift card.

Bill O’Boyle | Times Leader

WYOMING — The new Sheetz store that opened on Thursday in Wyoming is the 736th store in the six-state chain, the 307th in Pennsylvania, the 8th in Luzerne County and the favorite of Angela Tobisch of Jenkins Township.

Tobisch was the winner of “Sheetz for a Year” — a value of $2,500 in a Sheetz gift card.

And if all this wasn’t enough, gas was selling for $3.25 a gallon at the newly deployed pumps.

A lot was going on at the grand opening at 215 Wyoming Ave., Wyoming.

“I can’t believe it!” Tobisch said after screaming with delight when Cody Rodland, Event Marketing Specialist fort Sheetz, announced her name. “I’m a loyal Sheetz customer and this prize will be appreciated.”

Judging by the size of the crowd at the Grand Opening — Rodland said it was the largest he has ever seen — it’s no wonder that Jessica Sowanasky, Sheetz District Manager, was smiling ear to ear.

“This is awesome,” Sowanasky said. “It shows we chose the right location to serve this community. “We value our customers as much as they value what we offer. We’re very happy to open this store today.

In honor of the grand opening, Sheetz donated two $2,500 checks:

• The first went to the H & J Weinberg Northeast Pennsylvania Regional Food Bank — a Feeding America organization which distributes nearly 17 million pounds of food each year to people facing hunger in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Susquehanna and Wyoming counties.

• The second to the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania. A proud supporter of the Special Olympics for more than 30 years, Sheetz also extends its support to the organization through product donations and event volunteers.

For the Grand Opening, Sheetz welcomed customers by offering free self-serve coffee and soda for the entire day.

Customers attending the grand opening were encouraged to donate a non-perishable food item to the Weinberg Food Bank and many complied. Those who donated received a Sheetz branded thermal bag, limit one per customer, while supplies lasted.

Sheetz operates 736 store locations across Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio and Maryland. Rodland said Sheetz will open its first store in Michigan soon.

Included in the latest “Companies that Care” list by Great Places to Work and People Magazine, Rodland said Sheetz is committed to supporting the local communities it serves.

Established in 1952 in Altoona, Sheetz, Inc. is one of America’s fastest-growing family-owned and operated convenience store chains with more than 25,000 employees.

All Sheetz convenience stores are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.