Dic 19, 2018
Central Hudson, Employees, Support Community Organizations

Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation and its employees provided approximately $750,000 in contributions to local not-for-profit community service and small business organizations in 2018, with more than $7.8 million in such contributions donated during the last decade. Employees also volunteered in service and leadership roles, contributing thousands of hours in serving community organizations during the year.

“We have a proud tradition of community service at Central Hudson, and our employees are committed to the many causes and organizations that support our region,” said Denise D. VanBuren, Vice President of Public Relations. “We’re grateful for their dedication and willingness to give of themselves for the betterment of our communities.”

VanBuren explained some of the many ways in which financial support is offered by Central Hudson and its employees:

  • An employee-led campaign for the United Way is held each year, and employee contributions to the Community Fund are matched by Central Hudson. In 2018, more than $368,000 in employee contributions and matching shareholder funds was raised in support of local agencies and programs supported United Way agencies of the Mid-Hudson Valley;
  • Central Hudson extended more than $253,000 to local agencies and business groups by sponsorship of community events that raise awareness, promote the local economy and support non-profit programs.
  • Individual employee contributions to community service organizations are matched the Employee Matching Gift program. During 2018, employees and Central Hudson contributed more than $74,000. “By matching employee contributions, we are able to support organizations with which our employees are involved and spread contributions throughout the communities we serve,” said VanBuren. Central Hudson will match employee gifts made to eligible 501(c)(3) organizations that provide services within the utility’s eight-county service territory of up to $500 per employee annually.
  • During the year Central Hudson matched more than $54,000 in customer contributions to the Good Neighbor Fund, a last-resort grant toward utility bills for families and individuals facing financial hardship though a program administered by the local corps of the Salvation Army. New this year was the addition of a grant to veterans and military families, now a permanent part of the Good Neighbor Fund.
  • Each year, five employees who exemplify the spirit of volunteerism are recognized and the organizations they serve are provided with a $500 contribution, for a total of $2,500 annually, through the Community Service Award. Since 1989, 145 employees and organizations have received the Award, and nearly $72,000 has been donated.

Employees also volunteer and support many other causes, including fundraising walks, holiday food drives, neighborhood improvements, home and building repairs for vulnerable families and community agencies and more. “We’re proud of our employees’ dedication to the communities we serve and their willingness to support those in need,” said VanBuren.

For more information on Central Hudson’s community service initiatives, visit www.CentralHudson.com/Community.

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Central Hudson and its employees supported hundreds of community service organizations through volunteerism and contributions during the year. Examples include: Central Hudson’s sponsorship of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women and BetterU, to encourage a heart healthy lifestyle  (top); Employee’s Thanksgiving Food Drive, in coordination with Dutchess Outreach, providing nutritious food donations to local families; Employee volunteers for the United Way of Ulster County’s Day of Caring, to clean and repair a Family of Woodstock facility; Central Hudson’s primary sponsorship of The Wall that Heals, a traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial that had visited the City of Newburgh this summer to help bring closure, honor and pride to veterans and families of the Vietnam War (below); Central Hudson's Outreach Forum, bringing together local, county and state organizations and agencies that provide assistance to the region's most vulnerable residents; and Central Hudson’s sponsorship of the Back to School Backpack Brigade to benefit veteran and military families at Stewart Air Field by providing children with backpacks and school supplies right).