LOS ANGELES, June 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) and the Latino Restaurant Association (LRA) today held meal distribution events at Mercy Hospital Southwest in Bakersfield and Adventist Health Delano Regional Medical Center. Hundreds of healthcare workers received a free meal provided by local Latino-owned restaurants. The events were made possible thanks to a grant from SoCalGas to LRA's Feed Frontliners Program, which provides support to healthcare workers and restaurants affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Mercy Hospitals of Bakersfield is overwhelmed by the generosity of the SoCalGas and the LRA," said Toni Harper, vice president at Mercy Hospitals of Bakersfield. "As we continue to weather the pandemic, our caregivers are working tirelessly to ensure every patient and family has the best care. A gesture such as this by SoCalGas and the LRA renews their spirit and for that, we are eternally grateful."
"This pandemic has impacted all of us in different ways. Our goal with these events is to express our appreciation for healthcare workers and support local restaurant owners whose businesses have been affected by the pandemic," said Robert Duchow, public affairs manager at SoCalGas. "We are proud to continue supporting the communities we serve every day."
SoCalGas employees from Bakersfield also volunteered at the events, distributing meals and care packages to healthcare workers.
Meals for the events were prepared by LRA member restaurants, Nuestro Mexico in Bakersfield and by Hole-in-One in Delano. SoCalGas' grant to the Feed Frontliners Program helped fund the purchases of the meals, which will support the restaurants whose business has been impacted by the pandemic.
"The Latino Restaurant Association is so thankful to SoCalGas for partnering with us to bring our Feed Frontliners Program to the Bakersfield and Delano community," said Lilly Rocha, LRA Board Chair. "SoCalGas has been with us from the beginning, starting with a handful of meals to local ICU units to 250 meals at Adventist Health Delano Regional Medical Center and Mercy Hospital respectively. The strength of the program is in supporting two vulnerable and impacted communities - frontline healthcare workers combating COVID-19 every day and restaurants who are struggling to stay open."
SoCalGas is dedicated to supporting the health, safety, and wellness of our community. In addition to supporting the LRA's Feed Frontliners Program events, the utility has donated more than $2 million to nonprofit organizations to support the region's workforce, feed the hungry, provide bill assistance to customers, and more as part of the COVID-19 recovery. 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.
About the Latino Restaurant Association
The Latino Restaurant Association promotes, supports and educates restaurateurs and small business owners to ensure the equitable economic growth of the Latino restaurant sector. As a member association we work to bring our member community together to advocate for the critical issues impacting our industry and provide resources and educational opportunities to support efficient business practices. The LRA strives to create an all-inclusive Latino restaurant platform for the country.
SOURCE Southern California Gas Company
