Income qualified individuals and families are eligible to get assistance paying their utility bills
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) invites customers and employees to donate to the company's Gas Assistance Fund, which helps income-qualified customers pay their natural gas bill with a one-time grant of up to $100 per household. Contributions to the fund will be matched by SoCalGas.
The Gas Assistance Fund helps veterans, seniors, people with disabilities, and families in need pay their natural gas bills. It is administered by United Way of Greater Los Angeles, which partners with nearly 90 nonprofit organizations throughout SoCalGas' service territory to manage and distribute the grants.
"We are continually amazed at the generosity of our customers and employees, who donate to help others," said Sharon Tomkins, vice president of customer solutions and strategy at SoCalGas. "SoCalGas is grateful to everyone who has supported the Gas Assistance Fund over the last 35 years."
"SoCalGas is an important partner in ending poverty in Los Angeles County," said Elise Buik, President and CEO of United Way of Greater Los Angeles. "For a family struggling with financial hardship, this one-time gas assistance grant could be the difference in keeping them warm during the cold winter months," she added.
Contributions may be made online or by mailing a check to: Gas Assistance Fund, File 56826, United Way Inc., P.O. Box 746826, Los Angeles, CA 90074-6826. Donations are tax-deductible and accepted year-round.
Grant applications may be filled out at a participating United Way of Greater Los Angeles partner agency between Feb. 12th and May 31st (or until the fund is depleted). For additional information, including a list of partner agencies and income guidelines, click here.
Last year, SoCalGas' Gas Assistance Fund benefitted nearly 2,600 households in Central and Southern California and received $238,000 in donations. Since 1983, SoCalGas, the company's customers, and its employees have contributed nearly $19 million to the Gas Assistance Fund, helping more than 226,000 individuals and families.
In addition to the Gas Assistance Fund, SoCalGas offers other programs and services that can help customers manage their home energy costs. Click here to learn more.
About SoCalGas
Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest natural gas distribution utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers affordable, reliable, clean and increasingly renewable natural 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. Natural gas delivered through the company's pipelines also plays a key role in providing electricity to Californians—about 60 percent of electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.
SoCalGas is committed to investing in its natural gas system infrastructure, while keeping bills affordable for our customers. From 2013 through 2017, the company spent nearly $6 billion to upgrade and modernize its natural gas system to enhance safety and reliability. The company is also committed to being a leader in the region's clean energy future, and is working to accelerate the use of renewable natural gas from dairy farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants and the development of renewable energy storage technologies. 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 United Way Greater Los Angeles
United Way of Greater Los Angeles is a nonprofit organization fighting to end poverty by preparing students for high school graduation, college, and the workforce, housing our homeless neighbors, and guiding hard-working families towards economic mobility. United Way identifies the root causes of poverty and works strategically to solve them by building alliances across all sectors, funding targeted programs and advocating for change. For more information, visit UnitedWayLA.org and EveryoneInLA.com.
SOURCE Southern California Gas Company
SoCalGas, Irene Nguyen, (213) 244-2442, [email protected]; United Way of Greater Los Angeles, Melissa Gersh, (213) 808-6479, [email protected]