ORANGE, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), a leading sustainable energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, announced today a new way for customers to join their company in giving back this holiday season. For every customer that signs up for the company’s eBill service during the months of November and December, Avangrid subsidiaries will donate $2, up to a total of $5,000 per organization, to seven local food banks to support food security in Maine, New York and Connecticut. This maximum donation of $35,000 will provide approximately 100,000 total meals across these Avangrid service areas.
The promotion will take place at the following Avangrid electric and natural gas subsidiaries: Central Maine Power (CMP), New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG), Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E), United Illuminating (UI), Connecticut Natural Gas (CNG), and Southern Connecticut Gas (SCG).
“It’s very important to address food security needs across all of the communities we serve,” said Pedro Azagra, Avangrid CEO. “Through this promotion, we will team up with our customers to help expand access to food and be a part of the solution. Plus, our customers will also benefit from easier access to manage their account by signing-up for eBill.”
Avangrid’s eBill service is a user-friendly, paperless bill. When a customer signs up for eBill, they will receive their bill online and can schedule automatic payments or can make their own payments each month. Customers who wish to enroll in eBill can do so on their respective company’s website.
In Maine, CMP will donate up to $5,000 to Good Shepherd Food Bank, the largest hunger-relief organization in Maine serving more than 140,000 individuals every year.
“We are proud to support our customers and the communities we serve, especially around the holidays,” said Joe Purington, President and CEO of Central Maine Power. “With this program, our customers can directly support the Good Shephard Food Bank with a simple ‘click’ of a button.”
In New York, RG&E will donate up to $5,000 to Foodlink, a Rochester-based nonprofit dedicated to ending hunger and building healthier communities by addressing the symptoms and root causes of food insecurity. NYSEG will donate up to $5,000 per organization (for a maximum $20,000 total donation) to Food Bank of Central New York, Food Bank of the Southern Tier, Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, and FeedMore WNY. These organizations offer food, nutrition education, school backpack programs, mobile food pantries and other assistance programs.
“NYSEG and RG&E employees have been participating in food pantry efforts alongside the many dedicated in our communities to ending food insecurity,” said Patricia Nilsen, President and CEO of NYSEG and RG&E. “This eBill promotion provides every customer with the extra opportunity to boost food pantry donations over the holiday season and to have a green and convenient billing option.”
In Connecticut, UI, CNG and SCG will donate up to $5,000 to Connecticut Foodshare, which sources and distributes food through more than 650 community-based hunger relief programs. Volunteers from SCG and CNG also visited Connecticut Foodshare’s Wallingford location to sort and organize food in preparation for the busy holiday season.
“Being a good neighbor and partner to our communities is important throughout the year, but perhaps most important during the winter holiday season,” said Frank Reynolds, President & CEO of UI, SCG, and CNG. “With this initiative, our customers and our company will have the opportunity to partner to promote food security, and I look forward to our team’s continued work with Connecticut Foodshare.”
In addition to this eBill promotion, Avangrid and its subsidiaries support food security organizations year-round in partnership with the company’s philanthropic arm the Avangrid Foundation. In Maine this includes Good Shepherd Food Bank, Preble Street and Trinity Jubilee Center. In New York, this includes A Single Bite, FeedMore WNY, Food Bank of the Southern Tier, United Way of Broome County, Foodlink and Salvation Army. In Connecticut, this includes Connecticut Foodshare, nOURish Bridgeport and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts.
About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $41 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, Avangrid has two primary lines of business: networks and renewables. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Through its renewables business, Avangrid owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. Avangrid employs more than 7,500 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital in 2021, 2022 and 2023 as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens. In 2023, Avangrid ranked first within the utility sector for its commitment to the environment. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2023 for the fifth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.
