SoCalGas announced a $150,000 donation to Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County on Saturday, as part of the company’s 2023 ‘Fueling Our Communities’ $4 million initiative to help address food insecurity through partnerships with nonprofit organizations in central and southern California. The announcement took place at the 45-acre Harvest Solutions Farm, where Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris brought together about 100 volunteers, including SoCalGas employees, to harvest produce for the food bank, collecting a total of 4,500 pounds of cabbage and 1,000 pounds of broccolini that day. 

“Food insecurity is a critical issue facing many Orange County families,” said Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine). “For forty years, Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County has provided equitable access to nutritional meals for those in need. With this generous donation from SoCalGas, Second Harvest will be able to provide even more meals for families and seniors across Orange County."

“SoCalGas contributed a record $4 million to our 2023 ‘Fueling Our Communities’ program. This demonstrates our deep commitment to the well-being of the communities we serve, and the grant to Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County is part of a longstanding partnership to provide nutritious food to families in need,” said Andy Carrasco, Vice President, Communications, Local Government and Community Affairs. Since 2008, SoCalGas has provided nearly $300,000 in grants to Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County.

In Orange County, one in eight children and 29.4% ’s of the low-income senior population are food insecure. “There is a lot of need in our community. With heightened inflation and reduction in Covid benefits, we are serving on average, over 400,000 people a month. SoCalGas’ donation will provide about 228,000 pounds of fresh produce to over 17,000 households over three months. We are very grateful to SoCalGas for their support for our families,” said Claudia Bonilla Keller, Chief Executive Officer, Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County.

The $150,000 grant to Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County is the first of several other anticipated donations as part of the company’s ‘Fueling Our Communities’ program, totaling $4 million to local charities throughout SoCalGas’ service area, funding local nonprofits’ programs to provide free meals and groceries to low-income individuals this year.

The ‘Fueling Our Communities’ program began in 2020 as a collaboration between SoCalGas and five regional nonprofits to provide free meals to individuals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. During the program’s first summer, SoCalGas and its partners provided more than 140,000 meals to 40,000 individuals from underserved communities across Southern California.

Check out NBC 4 news story on the event here.