Love’s Travel Stop in Poplarville raised $6,393 during a five-week in-store campaign to support the Children’s Hospital of New Orleans, the local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital affiliate.

This is the first year the local store participated in the campaign since they opened their doors in June.

Store Manager Thomas Morrison said they couldn’t have done it without the community’s support.

 “We’d like to thank the community for helping us raise that money and the mayor of Poplarville for supporting us,” Morrison said.

They were able to raise the money via community donations and a chili cook off fundraiser they hosted in July, Morrison said.

 “They’re a brand new store this year, so for a new store to do that that’s wonderful,” said Kealey Dorian, Love’s communications specialist.

Employees at more than 350 Love’s stops nationwide raised nearly $2.2 million during this year’s campaign. Since 1998, Love’s has raised more than $14 million for the nonprofit, according to a press release from Love’s.

The campaign began in August and lasted until mid-September, Dorian said.

“We open new locations all the time. One of the big things we say when we come into a community is that we want to make the community a better place to live in, and this is one way we show that,” Dorian said.

The campaign raises money for hospitals affiliated with the Children’s Miracle Network. The money goes directly to the participating hospitals for anything they may need such as research, adding on to an existing campus or recruiting more physicians in order to serve more people in the community, Dorian said.

Between the Love’s location in Poplarville and Biloxi, they raised $14,949 for the children’s hospital in New Orleans, Dorian said.