Avangrid (NYSE: AGR), a leading sustainable energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, has announced that its employees have volunteered more than 23,000 hours in 2023, well surpassing the company’s original goal to volunteer 14,000 hours last year. Led by the Avangrid Foundation, employees volunteered in 26 states across the company’s service and operating areas, supporting more than 350 organizations.
“This is a testament to our dedication to the communities where we live and work,” said Pedro Azagra, Avangrid CEO. “I am very proud of our team. Not only have we surpassed our 2023 goal, but we have more than tripled our volunteering over our 2022 goal. I know that we will continue to show up in our communities this year and build upon our positive impact.”
“It’s incredible to see the positive force we can create when we come together as a company,” said Pablo Colón, director of corporate citizenship and executive director, Avangrid Foundation. “Everything we do at the Avangrid Foundation is to help our communities thrive and build a better tomorrow. Our volunteer work last year supported initiatives that provide critical services like shelter and food security, the protection of our biodiversity, and access to education and job training.”
The Avangrid Foundation also helps to amplify employees’ work in their communities through its Energized for Good program. Through this initiative, the Avangrid Foundation donates $15 per employee volunteer hour to qualifying organizations, up to 100 hours per employee. Last year’s Energized for Good program generated more than $318,160 in donations to local nonprofits.
Below are examples of how Avangrid employees gave back across their communities this year.
New York
Our New York employees led the way this year, volunteering more than 7,200 hours in 2023. At New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG), employees from the Brewster division recently created care packages for military members overseas. Volunteers made personalized messages and sent items to remind troops they are missed and that their service is valued. In the largest one-day volunteer event held at national cemeteries across the nation, staff members from the Mechanicville service division trimmed, removed, and planted trees and mulched the grounds at Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery.
In Rochester, New York, Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) employees have been longtime partners with Greater Rochester Habitat for Humanity and support the organization year-round by volunteering at Habitat build days. Recently, the RG&E team also volunteered at House of Mercy to sort and organize clothes so that winter coats were immediately available to shelter residents.
Maine
In Maine, Central Maine Power (CMP) employees volunteered across the state, including completing yard work at the Travis Mills Foundation, organizing seeds for people in need to plant in their backyard gardens at Maine Foodscapes, and sorting food at the Salvation Army’s community food drive. Employees also dedicated time this year to help Somerset Career and Technical Center students learn how to build osprey nesting platforms and help Mid-Maine Technical Center Outdoor Leadership students install and inspect their bluebird houses along a CMP transmission corridor.
Connecticut
Across Connecticut, United Illuminating (UI), Southern Connecticut Gas (SCG), and Connecticut Natural Gas (CNG) employees volunteered across the companies’ service territories, including in Hartford, Ansonia, and Bridgeport. On a bimonthly basis, employees served at the North Haven-based Connecticut Diaper Bank, where they packed and organized diapers for distribution to local nonprofit organizations that serve families in need across the state. Employees also served meals at Hands On Hartford, a “pay-what-you-can” café that provides lunch to individuals with limited means in the greater Hartford region. In Bridgeport, employees spent a day working on a variety of projects at the Cardinal Shehan Center, including mulching an entire playground, organizing books in the library by age and cleaning the equipment room.
Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, Avangrid’s offshore wind team gave back to their community in a variety of ways, including by partnering with the Mystic River Watershed Association to host a volunteer cleanup at Blessing of the Bay Park in Somerville. Avangrid volunteers walked around the park and paths and collected over 20 bags of trash. The Avangrid team also participated in the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides of Boston breast cancer walk in October and volunteered with Food for Free, a local nonprofit that improves access to healthy food for those in need, in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Oregon
In Oregon, Avangrid’s onshore renewables team volunteered across the region, including with Habitat for Humanity Portland Region to build homes for families in need as well as build and decorate a custom playhouse for a local child going through a life-altering loss in their family. Additionally, employees volunteered to help set up Adelante Mujeres Farmers Market, to sort food at the Oregon Food Bank and the Columbia Gorge Food Bank, and to restore children’s books at the SMART Readings Book Bank in Portland.
About Avangrid Foundation: The Avangrid Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization that funds philanthropic investments that primarily impact communities where Avangrid, Inc. and its subsidiaries operate. Since 2001, the Avangrid Foundation and its predecessors have invested more than $32 million in partnerships that focus on building sustainable, vital and healthy communities; preserving cultural and artistic heritage; advancing education; and improving people’s lives. The Avangrid Foundation is committed to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in the United States. For more information, please visit www.avangridfoundation.org.
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.
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