PECO establishes $250K Recovery Fund for Communities affected by Tropical Storm Ida

PHILADELPHIA, September 21, 2021 – PECO announced it has established a $250,000 recovery fund to sustain ongoing relief efforts related to Tropical Storm Ida. PECO and Exelon will donate $100,000 to the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania and Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia for essential supplies, overnight shelter stays, and first aid needs. An additional $100,000 is being directed to a number of organizations across Bucks, Chester, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties that are providing temporary housing, food and supplies, and financial assistance to individuals and families as they continue to rebuild following storm damage. Additional funds will be allocated to counties, including Delaware, and other community partners, as needs arise.
“Supporting our customers and the communities we serve is one of PECO’s most important responsibilities,” said Mike Innocenzo, PECO president and CEO. “With the $250,000 provided by PECO’s Recovery Fund, the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania, the Salvation Army, and counties can assist more individuals and families throughout the Greater Philadelphia region with the essentials needed to not only persevere but recover. In an ongoing partnership with our region’s nonprofits and relief organizations, we will continue to come together to power the critical services required in our region’s ongoing relief efforts.”
Following Tropical Storm Ida, the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania has provided:
More than 250 overnight shelter stays;
Distributed nearly 2,100 relief supplies; and
Served more than 3,500 meals and snacks in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties, to date.
What’s more, over 160 trained Red Cross disaster workers responded to the flash flooding and tornadoes following Tropical Storm Ida, providing care and comfort to over 850 impacted individuals.
As part of their ongoing relief efforts, the Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia has deployed 12 mobile feeding units from Philadelphia to State College, PA. The Salvation Army is serving meals in four shelters across the Delaware Valley, providing 150-200 meals per seating, along with providing cleaning supplies in the form of flood kits to some of the hardest-hit areas.
“Tropical Storm Ida devastated communities in Southeastern Pennsylvania, and we’ve helped thousands of hard-hit residents in their darkest hours,” says Guy Triano, Regional CEO for the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania. “Powered by the generosity of PECO, dedicated Red Cross volunteers and employees are still working around the clock to deliver relief to survivors of Tropical Storm Ida.”
In addition to this funding, PECO will provide a total of $100,000 to the following organizations and their emergency disaster relief efforts across Southeastern Pennsylvania:
Bucks County: United Way of Bucks County; Bucks County Opportunity Council; Bucks County Hero Scholarship Fund
Chester County: Brandywine Health Foundation Healthcare & Economic Relief Fund in Coatesville; Chester County Food Bank; Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art’s Emergency Relief Fund
Montgomery County: Montgomery County Emergency Fund; Horsham Community Center; Barren Hill Fire Company; Plymouth Whitemarsh High School
Philadelphia: Schuylkill River Development Corporation; Manayunk Small Business Fund; Fairmount Rowing Association, for Boathouse Row cleanup
“The Salvation Army has begun to transition from feeding support to providing emergency assistance via gift cards to help communities impacted by the remnants of Hurricane Ida throughout the Greater Philadelphia Region (Philadelphia, Delaware, Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery Counties),” says Luke Rodgers, Divisional Emergency Disaster Service Director, Salvation Army. “This generous donation from PECO will allow us to serve more of our neighbors in need.”
Alongside the company’s financial contributions, PECO employees are helping to clean up our region’s public green spaces that were severely damaged. On Saturday, September 18, PECO employee volunteers assisted with a campus cleanup at Brandywine Conservancy in Chadds Ford. On Friday, September 24, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., PECO’s Electric Ops team members will provide volunteers for the Schuylkill River Development Corporation’s post-Tropical Storm Ida cleanup efforts.
As Pennsylvania’s largest electric and natural gas utility, PECO provides critical infrastructure that powers hospitals and health care facilities, federal, state, and local response centers, and the millions of homes and businesses where people live and work. As such, PECO recognizes its foundational role in crisis response plans for the communities it serves. To date, the Exelon Foundation, Exelon Corporation, and its family of companies have pledged more than $5.7 million to national and local nonprofits in response to COVID-19, including more than $1 million committed to the state of Pennsylvania. Previous donations include a combined $500,000 to the United Way of Greater Philadelphia & Southern New Jersey’s PHL COVID-19 Fund, the United Way of Bucks County, the United Way of Chester County, The Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia, Manna, Project Home, Philabundance, MontCo Anti-Hunger Network, and Foundation for Delaware County.
PECO, founded in 1881, is Pennsylvania’s largest electric and natural gas utility. Headquartered in Philadelphia, PECO delivers energy to more than 1.6 million electric customers and more than 532,000 natural gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania. The company’s 2,900 employees are dedicated to the safe and reliable delivery of electricity and natural gas as well as enhanced energy management conservation, environmental stewardship, and community assistance. PECO is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (Nasdaq: EXC), the nation’s only Fortune 100 utility and leading competitive energy provider.
For more information visit PECO.com, and connect with the company on Facebook and Twitter.