The donation from SoCalGas' Fueling Our Communities Initiative will help provide nearly 93,000 meals and support healthy and culturally appropriate food options for Fresno, Kings, and Tulare Counties
FRESNO, Calif., Aug. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) announced a $200,000 community investment grant that will sustain and enhance a select group of Central California Food Bank's School Pantry sites, Neighborhood Markets, and Farmworker Community Program distributions in Fresno, Kings, and Tulare counties. Through the end of 2023, this donation from SoCalGas' Fueling Our Communities initiative will help provide nutritious and culturally appropriate food to families and individuals experiencing food insecurity in underserved communities of Selma, Orange Cove, Pixley, Dinuba, Richgrove, Porterville, Visalia, Corcoran, and Lemoore.
Many of Central California's families were negatively impacted by unforeseen economical spikes in food prices, transportation costs, and repercussions of a post-pandemic economy. This community investment grant from SoCalGas will help Central California Food Bank serve 4,590 individuals in Tulare County, 1,020 individuals in Kings County, and 1,530 individuals in Fresno County each month through December 2023.
Central California Food Bank is one of several organizations selected from SoCalGas' 12-county service area to receive funding to provide free meals and groceries to low-income families and seniors in need of food support. Central California's Fresno, Kings, and Tulare counties experience some of the highest rates of poverty and hunger in California and encounter multiple barriers to accessing healthy food on a regular basis.
"Through this incredible leadership gift, SoCalGas is helping provide culturally appropriate food and increased access to rural and remote communities. We are grateful for this support and look forward to continuing this partnership to positively impact neighbors experiencing hunger," said Kym Dildine, Co-CEO of Central California Food Bank.
"Thank you to SoCalGas for their generous contribution to the Central California Food Bank. Their contribution supporting residents experiencing food insecurities demonstrates SoCalGas' commitment to the resiliency of Tulare County," said Tulare County Supervisor Pete Vander Poel.
"The investments made through Fueling Our Communities demonstrate SoCalGas' commitment to empowering and investing in the communities across our service areas," said Andy Carrasco, SoCalGas Vice President, Communications, Local Government and Community Affairs. "SoCalGas values its partnership with the Central California Food Bank, as we work together to reduce food insecurity and provide healthy food to families in need."
"On behalf of Kings County, I want to express gratitude to SoCalGas for their efforts to feed families in Kings County. Their contribution will go a long way in helping families during trying times in our area," said Kings County Supervisor Richard Valle.
The Fueling Our Communities initiative began in 2020 as a collaboration between SoCalGas and five regional nonprofits to provide free meals to individuals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. During the program's first summer, SoCalGas and its partners provided more than 140,000 meals to 40,000 individuals from underserved communities across Southern California. With its latest $4 million contribution, SoCalGas aims to significantly expand the Fueling our Communities initiative via new and existing partnerships with food banks and nonprofits with a focus on serving families and seniors in need.
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About Central California Food Bank
Central California Food Bank (CCFB) is the region's largest nonprofit organization focused solely on ending hunger. CCFB has experienced tremendous growth since its beginning in 1992, and now serves at the center of a vast network of more than 230 member partners, including schools, churches, community kitchens and more to provide nutritious food to our neighbors in need throughout Fresno, Madera, Tulare, Kings, and Kern Counties. Through our comprehensive hunger-relief programs and services, we distribute nearly 50 million pounds of food to families in need each year, serving more than 300,000 people each month, including nearly 100,000 children across our service area. For more information about what Central California Food Bank is doing to fight hunger, visit www.ccfoodbank.org.
About SoCalGas
Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest gas distribution utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers affordable, reliable, and increasingly renewable gas service to over 21 million consumers across 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California. Gas delivered through the company's pipelines will continue to play a key role in California's clean energy transition—providing electric grid reliability and supporting wind and solar energy deployment.
SoCalGas' mission is to build the cleanest, safest and most innovative energy infrastructure company in America. In support of that mission, SoCalGas aspires to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in its operations and delivery of energy by 2045 and to replacing 20 percent of its traditional natural gas supply to core customers with renewable natural gas (RNG) by 2030. Renewable natural gas is made from waste created by landfills and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is also committed to investing in its gas delivery infrastructure while keeping bills affordable for customers. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra (NYSE: SRE), an energy infrastructure company based in San Diego.
For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook.
SOURCE Southern California Gas Company