UGI Utilities, Inc. recently provided support to regional food banks throughout Pennsylvania to help address the ongoing issue of food insecurity.
“Our communities are in the middle of a food insecurity epidemic,” Becky Eshbach, UGI senior director of customer success and community relations, said. “According to Feeding America, 1 in 8 children in Pennsylvania face hunger every day. Now, more than ever, our support is vital. UGI is committed to the welfare and livelihood of the communities we serve.”
More than 1.5 million individuals in Pennsylvania face food insecurity, including more than 440,000 children. To help address this critical need, UGI provided $50,000 in donations, distributed equally to each of the following organizations within the Company’s service area:
· The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank works to reduce hunger in 27 counties across central Pennsylvania. By partnering with more than 1,000 local agencies and programs, the organization serves more than 135,000 people in need each month through two Healthy Food Hubs, located in Harrisburg and Williamsport.
· The Commission on Economic Opportunity in support of the Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank serves Lackawanna, Luzerne, Susquehanna, and Wyoming Counties by distributing food to charitable organizations feeding the needy throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania. The more than 160 agencies include food pantries, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, group homes for the disabled, day care centers, children’s camps and senior citizens programs.
· The Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley supports the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania. Second Harvest Food Bank serves 200 agencies in Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, Pike, and Wayne Counties.
· Helping Harvest distributes food to more than 300 charitable food program partners in Berks and Schuylkill Counties. The partners include food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, after-school programs, Mobile Markets and senior housing facilities.
· The Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania serves 11 counties in northwest Pennsylvania, including Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, McKean, Venango, and Warren Counties.
UGI Utilities’ headquarters is located in Denver, Pennsylvania. The utility serves more than 730,000 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
