LOS ANGELES, July 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California
Gas Co. (SoCalGas) in conjunction with five regional charity
organizations today launched the "Fueling Our Communities" program
to provide free meals to individuals impacted by the COVID-19
pandemic. The program, which is funded by a $500,000 donation from SoCalGas, will provide
close to 140,000 meals to 40,000 individuals from underserved
communities in Tulare,
Kern, Ventura, San
Bernardino, Riverside and
Imperial counties. The program
will span over the summer season in 44 cities and will feed
seniors, students, families and migrant farm workers while
stimulating local small businesses.
"As the summer season is approaching and more areas are
reopening, we must keep in mind that the COVID-19 pandemic is still
ongoing and there are many vulnerable populations in need," said
Andy Carrasco, vice president of
strategy and engagement, and chief environmental officer at
SoCalGas. "Through the 'Fueling Our Communities' initiative,
SoCalGas hopes to help fill an essential need by providing meals
while helping local businesses as well. We are thankful for all the
amazing organizations and community leaders who have stepped up and
joined us to give back to those who need it the most."
The program will also partner with small businesses to help
stimulate the local economy.
Participating charitable partners include:
- Family Service Association (FSA) – Banning, Cabazon, Calimesa, Hemet, Jurupa Valley, Moreno Valley, Perris, Riverside, Corona and San
Jacinto in Riverside County
and Chino, Colton, Fontana, Grand
Terrace, Joshua Tree,
Loma Linda, Ontario, Rancho
Cucamonga, Redlands,
Rialto, San Bernardino, Upland, Yucaipa and Yucca
Valley in San Bernardino
County
- The American Legion – Brawley, Calexico, Calipatria, El
Centro, Holtville,
Imperial and Westmorland in Imperial County
- Food Share – Oxnard and
Santa Paula in Ventura
County
- Kern Economic Development Foundation – Arvin, Bakersfield,
California City, Delano,
McFarland, Shafter, Taft, Tehachapi, Wasco in Kern
County
- Sequoia Regional Economic Development Foundation –
Dinuba, Exeter, Farmersville, Lindsay, Porterville, Tulare, Visalia, and Woodlake in Tulare
County
"We're thrilled to partner with SoCalGas this Summer to provide
nutritious meals to the senior population in the Inland Empire.
This program will provide meals to seniors in 24 cities in
Riverside and San Bernardino counties– many which are in
rural and underserved areas," said Shannon
Gonzalez, chief program officer at FSA. "In addition to
distributing meals to senior residents weekly with our city
partners, FSA will also purchase gift certificates from local
restaurants which will allow recipients to visit their favorite
food spots and contribute to the local economy."
"Kern Economic Development Foundation is pleased to have been
selected by SoCalGas for this fantastic program to support our
local economy by supporting local restaurants, while also feeding
those in need," said Richard
Chapman, executive director for Kern Economic Development
Foundation. "We are thrilled to have Community Action
Partnership of Kern working
alongside us to implement this program which will provide thousands
of meals to Kern County residents
over the next few months."
SoCalGas is dedicated to supporting the health, safety, and
wellness of our community. In addition to supporting the 'Fueling
Our Communities' events, the utility has donated more than
$2.5 million to nonprofit
organizations to support the region's workforce, feed the hungry,
provide bill assistance to customers, and more as part of their
COVID-19 recovery efforts. Together, the Sempra Energy family of
companies – including SoCalGas' sister California utility San Diego
Gas and Electric, and the Sempra Energy Foundation – have donated
more than $12.5 million to those in
need during this crisis.
For more information about SoCalGas' response to the COVID-19
pandemic, please visit www.socalgas.com/coronavirus.
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