As many Ohioans stock up at grocery stores and adjust to a new way of living, there are food banks, pantries and homeless shelters struggling to keep up in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
To help in that effort, the AEP Ohio Fund of the Columbus Foundation donated $180,000 in emergency relief to help address the hardships faced by customers and communities. The grant is part of nearly $500,000 that the AEP Foundation awarded to support more than 40 not-for-profit agencies that provide basic human services, such as food, shelter and housing across AEP Ohio’s service territory.
“We care about our customers and understand how this pandemic is reshaping all of our daily lives,” said Raja Sundararajan, president and chief operating officer of AEP Ohio. “AEP Ohio, the AEP Foundation and our employees support local community organizations throughout the year. By making these additional funds available, we hope we can ease some of the stress and uncertainty the COVID-19 pandemic is creating.”
The United Way, Salvation Army, YMCA and local food banks and pantries, in addition to other local organizations will receive financial assistance through this donation.
The organizations include:
- Akron Canton Regional Foodbank
- American Red Cross Stark & Muskingum Lakes Chapter
- City Welfare Mission
- Community Resource Center of East Liverpool
- Food Pantry Network Licking County
- Friends & Neighbors Community Food Pantry
- Hardin County United Way
- Helping Hands of Toronto
- Highland County Family YMCA
- KNAPsack Inc.
- Louisville Community Cupboard
- Mid-Ohio Foodbank
- Pantry Plus of Seneca County, Inc.
- Paulding Elementary Parent Organization
- Pike County YMCA
- Refuge of Hope Ministries
- Robert K. Fox Family Y
- Ross County Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- Ross County YMCA
- Salvation Army
- Salvation Army Canton Corps
- Salvation Army Chillicothe
- Scioto Christian Ministry/Scioto County Homeless Shelter
- SE Ohio Foodbank
- Southern Ohio Domestic Violence Shelter
- St. Vincent De Paul Food Pantry
- Stark County Hunger Task Force
- The Leipsic Community Center
- The Muskingum County Community Foundation
- The Salvation Army
- United Way Alliance of the Mid-Ohio Valley
- United Way of Tuscarawas County
- United Way of Defiance County
- United Way Of Guernsey County
- United Way of Hancock County
- United Way of Morgan County
- United Way of Perry County
- United Way of Wayne & Holmes Counties
- Upper Sandusky School
- Urban Mission
- West Ohio Foodbank
In total, the AEP Foundation will donate $1.5 million to communities served by AEP in eleven states to help those in need.
About the AEP Foundation
The American Electric Power Foundation is funded by American Electric Power and its utility operating units, including AEP Ohio. The Foundation provides a permanent, ongoing resource for charitable initiatives involving higher dollar values and multi-year commitments in the communities served by AEP and initiatives outside of AEP’s 11-state service area. The Foundation focuses on improving lives through education from early childhood through higher education in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and by meeting basic needs for emergency shelter, affordable housing and the elimination of hunger.
The AEP Foundation is based in Columbus, Ohio.
