Duke Energy Powers DO GOOD Week for a 4th Year and Goes Big For Community Amid Crisis
DO GOOD Week: Home Edition would not be possible without the generosity of our partners. We are so grateful for Duke Energy, presenting partner of DO GOOD Week for the fourth consecutive year, for not only powering this year’s celebration, but embracing the necessary changes we have made to help us best serve the Charlotte nonprofit community’s needs during these unprecedented times.
The Duke Energy Foundation previously announced $1.3 million in support of COVID-19 relief, including $900,000 to support hunger relief and help local health and human services nonprofits in North Carolina. The Foundation has also offered flexibility for 2019 and 2020 grantees to apply program-specific grants to their emerging COVID-19 needs.
In addition to supporting DO GOOD Week and local nonprofits, Duke Energy is also providing assistance to their customers, communities and employees amid the COVID-19 crisis.
On April 16th, The Duke Energy Foundation announced a $150,000 donation to support low-income customers in North Carolina who are struggling to pay their utility bills during the COVID-19 crisis. The funds will be provided to approximately 600 households through the company’s Energy Neighbor Fund and Share the Warmth programs. With this additional investment in bill assistance, the Duke Energy Foundation has invested more than $1 million in direct COVID-19 relief in North Carolina. The company has already announced a number of steps it’s taking to relieve the financial burden of COVID-19 on all customers, including suspending disconnections due to nonpayment, waiving late-payment charges and waiving returned payment/check fees, among others.
Shawn Heath, President of The Duke Energy Foundation spoke to their unwavering support of the communities where the company operates saying “We believe in creating powerful communities, especially during uncertain times. We want to power the lives of our customers and the viability of our communities and that might not always look the same in each of the seven states where we operate. The Duke Energy Foundation’s desire is to provide assistance to our customers, communities and employees currently confronting this unprecedented crisis.”
As for their own employees, in 2016 Duke Energy created a Relief4Employees program that provides grants to eligible employees facing financial hardships because of a personal disaster like a house fire, natural disaster like a hurricane or a pandemic. The program is all about employees helping each other. In addition to the Foundation support, employees can also donate to help their fellow teammates through this program. For the current crisis, the Foundation has donated $300,000 to Relief4Employees.
In addition to Relief4Employees, Duke Energy is providing five additional personal days off to employees who experience a disruption in dependent care due to school, daycare or other child-related care – as most all schools are not in session. They are also providing a $1,500 stipend to assist with unplanned expenses resulting from costs related to COVID-19 that will be issued to employees at a certain pay threshold.
While May has traditionally been Duke Energy in Action month, which is an important way the company supports the communities where they operate, in light of COVID-19, their plans have shifted to ways they can encourage employees to look for virtual volunteer opportunities and are encouraging employees to send photos and videos of acts of kindness and at home volunteerism.
Thank you, Duke Energy, for all of the GOOD you do for the Charlotte community and for fueling this year’s DO GOOD Week: Home Edition!