UGI employees continued a long-standing tradition of giving back to the community throughout the holiday season. UGI employees have shared their spirit of the season in a variety of activities that support a wide range of community organizations across Pennsylvania in providing food, clothing and gifts during the holidays.
As an example, employees delivered gifts to more than 50 children in Head Start programs in Luzerne County and Scranton. Don Brominski, UGI senior manager of business development, played the role of Santa during one of the events.
Employees from UGI’s Call Center in Wilkes-Barre wrapped gifts for the Valley Santa program. Employees from UGI’s Lehigh location wrapped gifts for the Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley’s Holiday Hope Chest program.
UGI offices across the Company service territory also provided gifts through the Salvation Army Angel Tree program, an annual event that benefits both children and senior citizens. Locations that participated in this program include:
· Reading locations collected toys and gifts for the Salvation Army of Reading;
· UGI’s Lehigh office collected toys to support the holiday efforts of the Salvation Army, Allentown Corps;
· Lancaster employees collected gifts for the Salvation Army, Lancaster Corps;
· Middletown employees collected gifts for the Salvation Army Capital City Region.
In Harrisburg, UGI employees assisted the Salvation Army Capital City Region with both the Red Kettle Drive and the organization’s Adopt-a-Senior program. The Salvation Army provided the names of senior citizens, along with a list of suggested food items. UGI employees secured the food and delivered to those in need.
UGI co-sponsored the annual Salvation Army Coats for Kids drive, highlighted by a televised appeal on WGAL-TV. This effort assisted individuals in communities across the Susquehanna Valley. UGI volunteers staffed the phone bank during the last hour of the drive, and UGI presented a donation check on-air.
UGI employees also supported a number of other organizations in their holiday efforts. UGI’s Williamsport office collected toys for the Toys for Tots Drive and a Wilkes-Barre employee donated two bicycles that were donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Employees in UGI’s Denver headquarters sponsored three local families participating in the Ephrata Area Social Services Holiday Exchange Program. Employees purchased gifts from the children’s Wish Lists, as well as food to prepare a holiday meal. In addition to the Holiday Exchange Program, winter accessories (hats, gloves, socks and umbrellas) were collected and donated to the Ephrata Public Library.
Food drives were conducted in a number of UGI offices: in UGI’s Middletown and Lancaster offices, food was collected for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. In the UGI Wilkes-Barre office, items were collected on behalf of the Commission on Economic Opportunity. UGI’s Lock Haven held a food collection for The Salvation Army of Lock Haven over the course of several weeks, in which a different food item was collected every day.
UGI employees also participated in activities for veterans. Employees in the Wilkes Barre and Archbald locations signed holiday cards that were provided to the Gino Merli Veterans’ Center in Scranton. Employees from the Reading location participated in the American Red Cross Tri-County Chapter Holiday Baskets for Veterans program by loading boxes of holiday meal items into veterans’ vehicles, making deliveries to veterans, and moving boxes to the pick-up location.
Employees from UGI’s Denver, Lancaster, and Middletown locations participated in the Making Strides Walk of Harrisburg poinsettia sale. All proceeds from the sale will be donated to the American Cancer Society.
UGI employee volunteers created fun experiences for children as well. Volunteers hosted a holiday party in Reading for children at the Olivet Boys and Girls Club Center for the Arts, where volunteers organized various holiday-related games and activities and provided a hot meal. A visit by Santa, played by UGI meter shop employee Jim Rhodenizer, wishing good cheer to all, capped a memorable evening.
UGI employees volunteered at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore to prepare bedding and robes to be sold on the sales floor.
UGI Utilities’ headquarters is in Denver, Pennsylvania. The utility serves more than 700,000 natural gas and electric customers in 45 counties in Pennsylvania and one county in Maryland. Additional information about UGI is available at www.ugi.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ugiutilities or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ugi_utilities
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