When Tom and Mary Ann Kenneally started Town Pump in 1953, they discussed what to name their gas station. During his youth, Tom had spent his summers working on a family ranch in Helmville. At that time, there was a water pump in town that served the community. Tom remembered that the pump had to be dependable, working 24 hours a day in all types of weather. The pump was also a place where neighbors could visit each other, creating a gathering spot in the community. Everyone referred to the pump as the “Town Pump.”
Tom and Mary Ann decided that the Helmville 'town pump' had the characteristics that they wanted in their new business – and that was the start of today’s Town Pump.
To be part of a community includes giving back to the community. From the beginning, we have followed a simple philosophy set by our founders: to take care of our customers, our team members, our communities, and our state.
In 1999, the Town Pump Charitable Foundation was founded with the mission of providing financial support to Montana charitable organizations with a priority on meeting the basic needs and furthering the education of Montana citizens.
In 2023, through foundation and corporate giving, 705 grants totaling $4.5 million were awarded. Since 2000, over $40 million has been donated statewide.
A major area of concentration for the foundation continues to be food insecurity across the state. In these pages, you will find in-depth information about the real challenges facing our Montana neighbors and the ways in which we work to ameliorate these challenges.
You are invited to visit our website: townpumpfoundation.com. There you will see the programs we are supporting, as well as a link to our online grant application portal.
Thank you for supporting our Montana-owned-and-operated Town Pump family of businesses. With your patronage, we can continue to support communities across Montana.
