Wawa celebrated a major milestone in the company’s history with the grand opening of its 500th fuel store on Thursday.

The celebration, at the store on 8250 Limekiln Pike in Cheltenham, included representatives from the Air and Army National Guard in Horsham, Cheltenham Township, Cheltenham Fire and Police and local veterans.

The event hosted the charitable Hoagies for Heroes hoagie-building competition where teams of Cheltenham Fire and Police and the Horsham Air and Army National Guard faced off to build the most hoagies in three minutes. Wawa then presented the winner and runner-up with a $1,000 check for the charity of their choice.

Also, in anticipation of Veterans Day, Wawa hosted a care package assembly station. This allowed guests to put together a care package containing Wawa coffee and goodies and a handwritten letter of appreciation ready for shipping to troops deployed abroad in time for the holidays.

“When we determined our 500th fuel store grand opening was happening the day before Veterans Day, we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than by paying tribute to the men and women who protect the freedoms we all enjoy,” commented Brian Schaller, Wawa’s Vice President of Fuel.