LOS ANGELES, March 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern
California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced it will donate
$1 million to nonprofit organizations
throughout its service area to support the region's workforce, feed
the hungry, and provide bill assistance to customers most affected
by the coronavirus.
"All of us at SoCalGas want to do everything we can to support
our community during this crisis—especially workers who might be
laid off, people going hungry, and those who just won't be able to
pay their gas bills without help," said Bret Lane, SoCalGas Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer. "By providing funding to several outstanding nonprofit
organizations, we're helping deliver critical services to help our
neighbors who need it most."
The $1 million in donations will
include:
- A gift to the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region to support
serving meals to L.A. Unified School District students affected by
school closures due to coronavirus concerns.
- Monies designated to the Gas Assistance Fund, a program that
helps income-qualified SoCalGas customers pay their natural gas
bill. Seniors and those who have been laid off as a result of the
coronavirus crisis will be prioritized.
- A donation to the Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles COVID-19 fund, which is supporting
families, healthcare workers, unhoused neighbors and providing
equipment needs of first responders.
- A gift to the Orange County United Way to assist in support
local non-profits who provide essential services to those who are
food and housing insure.
- A donation to Proteus, Inc., to provide education, job
training, job placement, and other support services to farm working
families and others in need in the San
Joaquin Valley.
"Here in Los Angeles, we are
responding to the COVID-19 crisis with a full heart and a firm
commitment to keeping all Angelenos healthy and safe," said
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. "Like so many right now, SoCalGas
is stepping up to the plate and showing what it means to lead with
L.A. love — doing its part to deliver essential assistance to the
folks hit hardest by this pandemic."
"Thousands of children who are not getting their usual school
meals during this crisis will receive meals thanks to this generous
gift from SoCalGas," said Jarrett
Barrios, CEO American Red Cross, Los Angeles Region. "School
closures can create extreme food insecurity for many children.
These funds will ensure the Red Cross continues its work feeding LA
Unified students at risk of hunger. SoCalGas continues to be a true
community partner."
The health, safety and wellness of SoCalGas customer and
employees is foundational to the company. SoCalGas continues to
closely monitor the COVID-19 situation with local, state and
federal health agencies, as well as monitoring and implementing
guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
In addition to the temporary suspension of service
disconnections and waiving of late fees for small businesses,
SoCalGas is taking precautionary measures including:
- Reminding employees to stay home if they are sick and
encouraging work from home and other social distancing
practices
- Implementing company travel, visitor, meeting and event
restrictions
- Enhanced cleaning of SoCalGas facilities and personal hygiene
practices
Additional information about SoCalGas' response to COVID-19 is
available here.
About SoCalGas
Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas® is
the largest gas distribution
utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers
affordable, reliable, clean and increasingly renewable gas service
to 21.8 million customers across 24,000 square miles of
Central and Southern California, where more than 90 percent of
residents use natural gas for heating, hot water, cooking, drying
clothes or other uses. Gas delivered through the company's
pipelines also plays a key role in providing electricity to
Californians— about 45 percent of electric power
generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.
SoCalGas' vision is to be the cleanest gas utility
in North America, delivering affordable and increasingly
renewable energy to its customers. In support of that vision,
SoCalGas is committed to replacing 20 percent of its traditional
natural gas supply with renewable natural gas (RNG) by
2030. Renewable natural gas is made from waste created by
dairy farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is
also committed to investing in its gas delivery infrastructure
while keeping bills affordable for our customers. From 2014 through
2018, the company invested nearly $6.5 billion to upgrade
and modernize its pipeline system to enhance safety and
reliability. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra
Energy (NYSE: SRE), an energy services holding company based
in San Diego. For more information
visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas
on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas)
and Facebook.
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SOURCE Southern California Gas Company