Our employees give back to the community throughout the year by volunteering their time and making donations to local charities. During the holiday season, we ramp up our giving efforts even more.
Through the SDGivE program this year, over 400 of our employees will participate in about three dozen projects to support community-based organizations, Nov. 16-Dec.22. These projects range from putting on holiday parties for children to making cards for seniors to serving holiday meals to those in need.
Here are highlights from some of our employee volunteering projects:
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Our employees visited the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society offices to help their small staff prepare for the Annual Esther Scott Children’s Holiday Party. Volunteers sorted and categorized hundreds of toys that will be given out to young cancer survivor and their siblings at the annual holiday party. LLS is the largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding research, finding cures and ensuring access to treatments for blood cancer patients.
Feeding San Diego
Our employees spent an afternoon at Feeding San Diego, gleaning, sorting and packing food before it is distributed to those in need. Forty percent of food goes to waste every day. Feeding San Diego rescues good food before it goes to waste and gets it to those in need. Volunteer support helps ensure that people facing hunger have access to fresh and nutritious food.
Armed Services YMCA
At the Armed Services YMCA Neighborhood Exchange (NEX) Food Distribution, our employees bagged, displayed and distributed Thanksgiving meals at the farmers market-style event, feeding approximately 200 active duty military families. The NEX program is dedicated to helping families who meet federal income requirements to stock their cupboards, with this holiday food distribution specifically designed to allow families – who otherwise would not have been able to – host traditional holiday meals to share the table and celebrate the season with loved ones.
San Diego Refugee Tutoring
Our employees supported the San Diego Refugee Tutoring’s (SDRT) annual feast, held every year at Ibarra Elementary School in City Heights, to share an American tradition with refugee families and welcome them to the country. It’s a special time where volunteers and their families and SDRT students and their families sit down together to enjoy a meal and merriment. SDRT works to achieve social justice by providing one-on-one tutoring to refugees and supporting their academic success.
Arc of San Diego
ARC of San Diego provides services to children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to empower them to achieve their goals. Every year, a small but mighty team of SDG&E employees volunteer to put on a Thanksgiving luncheon to celebrate and serve ARC clients and staff.
Chula Vista Salvation Army Corps
Our employees served pre-Thanksgiving meals to approximately 300-families at the Chula Vista Salvation Army Corps, just one day before the Thanksgiving holiday. The Salvation Army believes no one should be left alone or hungry on Thanksgiving, every year serving thousands of people in-need across San Diego County.
SDG&E employees will continue to support community needs throughout the holiday season through a variety of service projects in partnership with local nonprofits. Follow #SDGivE spotlights on social media to keep up with our employees and the communities we serve.