SoCalGas’ donation provides 500 meals to Bakersfield and Delano healthcare workers and supports local restaurants

LOS ANGELES, June 15, 2020 – Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) and the Latino Restaurant Association (LRA) today held meal distribution events at Mercy Hospital Southwest in Bakersfield and Adventist Health Delano Regional Medical Center. Hundreds of healthcare workers received a free meal provided by local Latino-owned restaurants. The events were made possible thanks to a grant from SoCalGas to LRA’s Feed Frontliners Program, which provides support to healthcare workers and restaurants affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Mercy Hospitals of Bakersfield is overwhelmed by the generosity of the SoCalGas and the LRA,” said Toni Harper, vice president at Mercy Hospitals of Bakersfield. “As we continue to weather the pandemic, our caregivers are working tirelessly to ensure every patient and family has the best care.  A gesture such as this by SoCalGas and the LRA renews their spirit and for that, we are eternally grateful.”

“This pandemic has impacted all of us in different ways. Our goal with these events is to express our appreciation for healthcare workers and support local restaurant owners whose businesses have been affected by the pandemic,” said Robert Duchow, public affairs manager at SoCalGas. “We are proud to continue supporting the communities we serve every day.”

SoCalGas employees from Bakersfield also volunteered at the events, distributing meals and care packages to healthcare workers.

Meals for the events were prepared by LRA member restaurants, La Costa in Bakersfield and by Hole-in-One in Delano. SoCalGas’ grant to the Feed Frontliners Program helped fund the purchases of the meals, which will support the restaurants whose business has been impacted by the pandemic.

“The Latino Restaurant Association is so thankful to SoCalGas for partnering with us to bring our Feed Frontliners Program to the Bakersfield and Delano community,” said Lilly Rocha, LRA Board Chair. “SoCalGas has been with us from the beginning, starting with a handful of meals to local ICU units to 250 meals at Adventist Health Delano Regional Medical Center and Mercy Hospital respectively. The strength of the program is in supporting two vulnerable and impacted communities – frontline healthcare workers combating COVID-19 every day and restaurants who are struggling to stay open.”

About the Latino Restaurant Association

The Latino Restaurant Association promotes, supports and educates restaurateurs and small business owners to ensure the equitable economic growth of the Latino restaurant sector. As a member association we work to bring our member community together to advocate for the critical issues impacting our industry and provide resources and educational opportunities to support efficient business practices. The LRA strives to create an all-inclusive Latino restaurant platform for the country.

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SoCalGas Launches The “Fueling Our Communities” Program to Feed Vulnerable Groups in Rural Parts of Central and Southern California

Utility partners with charitable organizations to provide meals to 40,000 seniors, students, families and migrant farm workers and stimulate local businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic

LOS ANGELES, July 6, 2020 – Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) in conjunction with five regional charity organizations today launched the “Fueling Our Communities” program to provide free meals to individuals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program, which is funded by a $500,000 donation from SoCalGas, will provide close to 140,000 meals to 40,000 individuals from underserved communities in Tulare, Kern, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside and Imperial counties. The program will span over the summer season in 44 cities and will feed seniors, students, families and migrant farm workers while stimulating local small businesses.

“As the summer season is approaching and more areas are reopening, we must keep in mind that the COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing and there are many vulnerable populations in need,” said Andy Carrasco, vice president of strategy and engagement, and chief environmental officer at SoCalGas. “Through the ‘Fueling Our Communities’ initiative, SoCalGas hopes to help fill an essential need by providing meals while helping local businesses as well. We are thankful for all the amazing organizations and community leaders who have stepped up and joined us to give back to those who need it the most.”

The program will also partner with small businesses to help stimulate the local economy.

Participating charitable partners include:

• Family Service Association (FSA) – Banning, Cabazon, Calimesa, Hemet, Jurupa Valley, Moreno Valley, Perris, Riverside, Corona and San Jacinto in Riverside County and Chino, Colton, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Joshua Tree, Loma Linda, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, Rialto, San Bernardino, Upland, Yucaipa and Yucca Valley in San Bernardino County
• The American Legion – Brawley, Calexico, Calipatria, El Centro, Holtville, Imperial and Westmorland in Imperial County
• Food Share – Oxnard and Santa Paula in Ventura County
• Kern Economic Development Foundation – Arvin, Bakersfield, California City, Delano, McFarland, Shafter, Taft, Tehachapi, Wasco in Kern County
• Sequoia Regional Economic Development Foundation – Dinuba, Exeter, Farmersville, Lindsay, Porterville, Tulare, Visalia, and Woodlake in Tulare County

“We’re thrilled to partner with SoCalGas this Summer to provide nutritious meals to the senior population in the Inland Empire. This program will provide meals to seniors in 24 cities in Riverside and San Bernardino counties– many which are in rural and underserved areas,” said Shannon Gonzalez, chief program officer at FSA. “In addition to distributing meals to senior residents weekly with our city partners, FSA will also purchase gift certificates from local restaurants which will allow recipients to visit their favorite food spots and contribute to the local economy.”

“Kern Economic Development Foundation is pleased to have been selected by SoCalGas for this fantastic program to support our local economy by supporting local restaurants, while also feeding those in need,” said Richard Chapman, executive director for Kern Economic Development Foundation.  “We are thrilled to have Community Action Partnership of Kern working alongside us to implement this program which will provide thousands of meals to Kern County residents over the next few months.”

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 $2.5 million to nonprofit organizations to support the region’s workforce, feed the hungry, provide bill assistance to customers, and more as part of their COVID-19 recovery efforts. Together, the Sempra Energy family of companies – including SoCalGas’ sister California utility San Diego Gas and Electric, and the Sempra Energy Foundation – have donated more than $12.5 million to those in need during this crisis.

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 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. Gas delivered through the company’s pipelines also plays a key role in providing electricity to Californians— about 45 percent of electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.

SoCalGas’ vision is to be the cleanest gas utility in North America, delivering affordable and increasingly renewable energy to its customers. In support of that vision, SoCalGas is committed 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 our customers. From 2014 through 2018, the company invested nearly $6.5 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.