LOS ANGELES, April 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) in conjunction with eight regional charity organizations today launched the 2021 Fueling Our Communities program to help feed individuals experiencing food insecurity. This year's program will provide free meals, groceries, and restaurant gift cards to thousands of individuals from 20 underserved communities across Los Angeles County. The program, which is funded by a $325,000 donation from the utility, will also help stimulate local small businesses and is expected to last through the spring.
The first event under this program was hosted over the weekend at Compton's Woodley Airport. SoCalGas, the Human Services Association, Assemblymember Mike Gipson, and Compton Councilwoman Tana McCoy, partnered to provide meal kits, groceries and gift cards from local restaurants to community members in need. Click here for photos.
"I am proud to work alongside SoCalGas and HSA to provide support to hardworking families impacted by the pandemic," said Assemblymember Mike Gipson. "The Fueling Our Communities program is a great example of the community coming together to help one another in a time of need."
"While the local economy is slowing bouncing back more than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, there is still great need," said Andy Carrasco, vice president of communications, local government, and community affairs at SoCalGas. "We recognize this and brought our Fueling Our Communities program back for a second year because food insecurity continues to be a reality in many of our communities and local businesses are still struggling. We thank our community partners for joining us in this initiative."
"The Fueling Our Community program is a great example of community members coming together to help those in need," said Compton City Councilwoman Tana McCoy. "I thank SoCalGas and the participating charity organizations for understanding the needs of the community and bring this program back in 2021."
Charitable community partners and the communities served under the Fueling Our Communities program include:
- TRUST South LA – South Los Angeles
- Human Services Association – Compton, Downey, Norwalk and Cudahy
- Friends of Cabrillo – Wilmington and San Pedro
- Catholic Charities – El Monte, Irwindale, Pomona, Rosemead and Duarte
- Alma Family Services – Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles
- LA Red Shield Community Center – Pico Union
- Community's Child and El Camino College Foundation – Lomita, Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale, Torrance, Carson and Compton
"At Human Services Association our mission is to promote wellness and build strong communities. That's why, we are proud to partner with SoCalGas for a second year to help feed the most vulnerable members of our community and support local businesses," said Darren Dunaway, director of senior services at Human Services Association.
"Many people depend on programs like Fueling Our Communities to provide food for their families," said Tara Nierenhausen, executive director at Community's Child. "We hope this initiative inspires others in the community to give back in whichever way they can to help those who need it most during this time."
Last summer, the Fueling Our Communities program provided nearly 40,000 meals to seniors, students, farm workers, and families. The program also provided business to approximately 100 local restaurants and distributed almost 8,000 gift cards totaling more than $162,000.
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 $4 million to nonprofit organizations to support the region's workforce, feed the hungry, provide bill assistance to customers, and more as part of COVID-19 recovery efforts.
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 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 company in America. In support of that mission, SoCalGas is committed to achieving 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 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 customers. Over the past five years, the company invested nearly $7.5 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.
SOURCE Southern California Gas Company
