COMSTOCK PARK, MI – April 2, 2020 – Feeding America West Michigan received $15,000 in emergency funds from the American Electric Power Foundation, on behalf of Indiana Michigan Power to support hunger-relief amid the Coronavirus pandemic.
“We are humbled and thankful to the AEP Foundation and I&M for this donation to help provide much needed resources to those impacted by the virus,” said Kenneth Estelle, the food bank’s president and CEO. “The weeks to come are full of unknowns, but with these funds we can continue to supply food to those facing hunger in our communities.”
In total, the AEP Foundation is donating $240,000 to support basic human needs like food, shelter and housing assistance across I&M’s service territory. Overall, the AEP Foundation will donate $1.5 million to communities served by AEP in eleven states.
“During this pandemic, we are also seeing what makes us all proud of our nation, our state and of our local communities – coming together and helping our neighbors,” said Toby Thomas, I&M president and COO. “With the AEP Foundation grant, I&M is able to help provide for the communities we serve, live and work in by ensuring basic needs are met so we can focus on what’s important during this challenging time – staying safe and healthy.”
About Feeding America West Michigan
Serving local families in need since 1981, Feeding America West Michigan reclaims safe surplus food from farmers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers. That food is distributed through a network of more than 800 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and other hunger-relief agencies in 40 of Michigan’s 83 counties from the Indiana border through the Upper Peninsula. For more information, visit FeedWM.org or call 616-784-3250.
About the AEP Foundation
The American Electric Power Foundation is funded by American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) and its utility operating units, including Indiana Michigan Power. 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’s areas of focus include special emphasis on improving lives through education from early childhood through higher education, protecting the environment, providing basic human services in the areas of hunger, housing, health and safety, and enriching life through art, music and cultural heritage. The Foundation is based in Columbus, Ohio.
About Indiana Michigan Power
Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is headquartered in Fort Wayne, and its 2,370 employees serve more than 597,000 customers. More than half of its generation is emission-free, including 2,278 MW of nuclear generation in Michigan, 450 MW of purchased wind generation from Indiana, 22 MW of hydro generation in both states and approximately 15 MW of large-scale solar generation in both states. The company’s generation portfolio also includes 2,600 MW of coal-fueled generation in Indiana.
American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP’s more than 17,000 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 219,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.4 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 32,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including 4,300 megawatts of renewable energy. AEP’s family of companies includes utilities AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide.
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