PG&E Contributes $150K To California Association Of Food Banks

Press release from Pacific Gas and Electric: Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is assisting the California Association of Food Banks to establish the California Food Bank Rapid Response Fund with a $150,000 charitable contribution. Through the Rapid Response Fund, the Association will provide critical funding for food banks to increase their capacity to purchase food and supplies, and to supplement their staffing needs through the COVID-19 pandemic and future emergencies.

The Rapid Response Fund will distribute funding to 40 food banks serving all 58 California counties, with 34 located in PG&E’s service area. Customers in need of assistance can find a food bank close to them by searching their zip code here: http://www.cafoodbanks.org/find-food-assistance or by calling their local 211 number or the statewide hotline at (833) 544-2374.

“Food banks are a vital resource in every community, working throughout the year to ensure that no one goes hungry. During this current crisis, food banks are at the forefront providing an unprecedented amount of food to millions of Californians,” explained Stacia Levenfeld, Chief Executive Officer of the California Association of Food Banks. “Thank you to PG&E for this inaugural donation to the California Food Bank Rapid Response Fund. My hope is that this donation inspires others to contribute, supporting our essential work to deliver healthy food to those who need it most throughout the state.”

One such food bank that will receive funding is Redwood Empire Food Bank, where it has seen its participant numbers increase. Its volunteers are distributing enough food for 83,000 meals per day to neighbors in need. That’s compared to 58,000 meals per day at this time last year.

“To that same degree, distribution sites that were once serving 100 households on average, are now serving 500. Although our mission is simple – to end hunger in our community – how we accomplish it is not. The money donated by PG&E will help us immensely. It will purchase food, pay our dedicated staff, fuel our trucks, keep our refrigerators running and provide us with the safety net we need to meet the increasing demand for food in the five counties we serve,” said David Goodman, CEO Redwood Empire Food Bank.

This donation is part of $1 million in charitable contributions that PG&E and The PG&E Corporation Foundation have committed to providing to nonprofits focused on supporting individuals and families coping with the impacts of the current health crisis. The $1 million funding will seek to address general relief and food insecurity, as well as assist small businesses with the economic impacts of the public health emergency. These donations come from shareholder funds, not customers.

“As a company and as individuals, we recognize the need to support first responders. During this difficult time, food banks have become one of many important first responders supporting the most vulnerable members of our communities. We’re proud to be able to support them and hope others will join us. This new Rapid Response Fund will be available to help 34 food banks in our service area during this emergency as well as others in the future,” said Robert Kenney, PG&E’s Vice President of State and Regulatory Affairs.

The Fund will distribute 85 percent of the donations to support local food banks as they scale up their operations to meet the increased demand for food and resources, and 15 percent will support the California Association of Food Banks’ critical role in response efforts.

This press release was produced by Pacific Gas and Electric. The views expressed here are the author's own.