The Salvation Army, Consumers Energy Encourage Support for the PeopleCare Program to Help Those in Need
December 26 2007 - 11:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
JACKSON, Mich., Dec. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- For many Michigan
families struggling to make ends meet, an unexpected problem can
wash away the joy of the holidays. Often, those families just need
a bit of help to get by: A prescription for a sick child, a bag of
groceries, or a tank of gas to get to work until the next paycheck.
Consumers Energy and The Salvation Army created PeopleCare to
provide that help to individuals and families. In 2007, PeopleCare
helped nearly 11,000 families across Michigan, providing food,
shelter, clothing, and other emergency aid. The Salvation Army
determines eligibility for energy bill credits and other help and
distributes the aid. In 2007, Consumers Energy provided $1.5
million in energy bill credits and the utility's customers and
employees contributed more than $850,000 for PeopleCare. In 2008,
the utility will again provide $1.5 million in energy bill credits.
Since it was established in 1983, PeopleCare - a joint effort of
The Salvation Army and the utility - has helped 302,228 households
in Michigan. Consumers Energy employees and customers have donated
nearly $12.5 million to support PeopleCare and the utility has
contributed $25.3 million in energy bill credits for total support
of $37.8 million. Consumers Energy customers can support
PeopleCare's work of helping families and individuals by checking a
box at the top of their January energy bills. Customers may donate
$3 a month or make a one-time donation of $5 by checking one of the
boxes at the top of their January bill. If they'd like to
contribute more each month, they can call 1-800-477-5050 and
arrange to have the amount added to their bill. Other contributions
may be sent to: PeopleCare Consumers Energy Lansing, Mich.
48937-0001 "PeopleCare is focused on one goal: Helping people in
need. Over the past 25 years, PeopleCare has helped thousands of
households with quick, direct assistance. Consumers Energy and its
employees are proud to support PeopleCare and to help those in
need," said Debra Harmon, the utility's corporate customer
assistance advocacy manager. To see scenarios of families helped by
PeopleCare, or to download a brochure, visit
http://www.consumersenergy.com/peoplecare . Consumers Energy, the
principal subsidiary of CMS Energy, provides natural gas and
electricity to nearly 6.5 million of Michigan's 10 million
residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties. For more information
about Consumers Energy, visit our Website at
http://www.consumersenergy.com/ . DATASOURCE: Consumers Energy
CONTACT: Dan Bishop, +1-517-788-2395, or Debra Dodd,
+1-248-433-5781, both of Consumers Energy Web site:
http://www.consumersenergy.com/
http://www.consumersenergy.com/peoplecare Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/203850.html
Copyright