GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. — Dollar General Corp. on Saturday held the official grand opening of its 17,000th store. The new outlet is located in Fountain, Colorado.

“We are excited to commemorate this milestone in the Centennial State and expand our ability to play a positive role in the 17,000 communities that we’re proud to call home,” Dollar General chief executive officer Todd Vasos said. “Since our founding more than 80 years ago, we have remained focused on helping customers save time and money, and the opening of our 17,000th store demonstrates this ongoing dedication. In Fountain and in each community where Dollar General adds a new location, we seek to be a positive business partner and good corporate citizen through the addition of new career opportunities, the ability for local customers to save money on household essential items and through literacy and education donations from both Dollar General and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.”

Dollar General opened its first store in Colorado in 2006 and currently has about 60 outlets in the state, where it employs more than 500 people.

The company celebrated the opening of its latest milestone store by making a $17,000 donation to the Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8. The funds aim to support ongoing literacy and education programs within the school district, and Dollar General said the donation reflects the company’s mission of Serving Others.

“We are so grateful for this donation from Dollar General, as it will allow the district the opportunity to provide even more books and literacy experiences for our students,” said Laurie Noblitt, Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8’s Director of Early Education. “We are committed to ensuring students experience the joy of reading and learning. In the famous words of Dr. Seuss, ‘The more that you read, the more things you will know, the more you learn, the more places you’ll go!’”

Dollar General has been expanding rapidly, and it was only a little more than a year ago that the retailer opened its 16,000th store.