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Corporate Partners Double EBCE’s Donation to Local Food Charities

Apr 20, 2020


EBCE’s Board allocated $70,000 to Alameda County Community Food Bank and Meals-on-Wheels of Alameda County, and local businesses more than doubled that donation

Oakland, Calif. (updated April 23, 2020) – As part of East Bay Community Energy’s (EBCE) recent $1.5 million commitment to funding local COVID-19 relief efforts, the public power agency committed $70,000 to split between Alameda County Community Food Bank and Meals-on-Wheels of Alameda County. Shortly after that announcement, EBCE turned to its large electricity customers and other business partners to participate in the fundraising effort. After two weeks, the amount of contributions has more than doubled thanks to the generosity of:

  • Barclays

  • Boehringer Ingelheim

  • NextEra Energy Resources

  • River City Bank / Kelly Foundation

  • Schnitzer Steel

  • Vistra Energy

The total contribution now stands at $152,500.

“Since the COVID-19 emergency took hold, we have experienced a 1,000 percent increase in calls to our emergency food helpline – more than half of which are coming from households that have never reached out for help before,” says Suzan Bateson, Executive Director of Alameda County Community Food Bank. “The communities impacted hardest by this emergency are those we’re already serving, including low-income workers, vulnerable seniors and families with children. We are preparing for a prolonged response and will need to rely on our partners for the duration of this crisis, and beyond. We’re extremely grateful to East Bay Community Energy and their customers who have stepped up to nourish our neighborhoods during this time of need.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic and California’s shelter in place order has compelled more seniors to turn to our Meals on Wheels programs for reliable nourishment. More than 300 seniors, an unprecedented number, have signed up to receive meals in the last 30 days. EBCE’s willingness to call on their corporate customers to match their support during this precarious time is remarkable. We are thankful to be given the ability to continue delivering meals to 2,700 homebound seniors across the county.” said Marisa P. Melo, Executive Director of Meals on Wheels of Alameda County

EBCE would like to thank those companies for their financial support of these two vitally important local food charities.

We encourage readers to contribute if you are able. The links below are to the donation pages.
Alameda County Community Food Bank
Meals on Wheels of Alameda County

For more information on EBCE’s COVID-19 relief efforts, please visit https://ebce.org/covid

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About East Bay Community Energy (EBCE)
EBCE is a not-for-profit public agency that operates a Community Choice Energy program for Alameda County and eleven incorporated cities, serving more than 550,000 residential and commercial customers throughout the county. EBCE initiated service in June 2018 and will expand to the cities of Pleasanton, Newark, and Tracy in 2021. As one of 19 community choice aggregation (CCA) programs operating in California, EBCE is part of the movement to expedite the climate action goals of their communities and those of California. EBCE is committed to providing clean power at competitive rates while reinvesting in our local communities. For more information about East Bay Community Energy, visit https://ebce.org/.

CONTACT

Dan Lieberman
925-579-1591
dlieberman@ebce.org