Virginia Natural Gas Provides $320,000 in Energy Assistance Funds This Winter; Donates $125,000 to Three Community Organizations December 23, 2005
NORFOLK, Va., Dec 23, 2005 -- Virginia Natural Gas (VNG), a subsidiary of Atlanta-based AGL Resources (NYSE:ATG), this week donated $125,000 to three community organizations raising the company's total giving this year to roughly more than $320,000 for energy assistance.
"During the last decade VNG has worked with the Salvation Army and contributed almost $1 million to the EnergyShare program to help our neighbors in need in Hampton Roads," said Hank Linginfelter, president of VNG and senior vice president for AGL Resources' Mid-Atlantic region. Since 1995, VNG corporate donations have totaled $617,500, and our customers have contributed an additional $270,000.
"We're pleased to make this special donation in addition to the $40,000 VNG annually contributes to EnergyShare," added Linginfelter. "I would also like to recognize our great customers who donate every year to EnergyShare to help those in need."
VNG today presented $75,000 to The Salvation Army as additional funding for EnergyShare, a program that helps low-income families and the elderly pay their winter heating bills.
"The generosity of VNG will touch area families by heating their homes and warming their hearts," said Major Gene A. Hogg, Tidewater Area Commander for The Salvation Army. "We want to say thank you to VNG for allowing The Salvation Army to participate in the healing of these hearts and homes."
VNG this week also presented $25,000, each to The Southeastern Tidewater Opportunity Project (The Stop Organization of South Hampton Roads) and the Office of Human Affairs (Peninsula) for energy assistance and other emergency needs.
Since last December, VNG has provided roughly $320,000 in energy assistance funding, of which customers contributed $30,000, over the past year. A portion of the $125,000 the company donated a year ago to The Salvation Army remains available for energy assistance during this winter's heating season.
In addition to working with The Salvation Army, VNG has developed a relationship with both the Stop Organization and the Office of Human Affairs.
Jose Simon, director of Public Affairs for VNG, said "You can feel the commitment and the heart that these organizations have for helping those in need real quick just by talking to Stop Organization President and CEO Edith Jones and the Office of Human Affairs' Executive Director Bob Ayers.
"This week's gift from Virginia Natural Gas is a welcome holiday present for our clients who find themselves pressed to make ends meet," said Ayers. "The donation will allow for a wider distribution of unrestricted funds from our Emergency Service Center and help more people in need."
Jones said, "STOP will utilize this week's donation to restore heating services to low income families as well as assist families who are in imminent danger of being without heat. They've already helped a single parent with three children who were without heat this Christmas season. On behalf of STOP and the family, we thank you."
The Salvation Army will be taking applications for EnergyShare beginning in January. Applicants for this assistance must first call to make an appointment as walk-ins are not accepted.
For information on the EnergyShare program, call:
In South Hampton Roads, call 543-8100 Call for an appointment: Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m.
In Suffolk, call 539-5201 Call for an appointment: Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.
In the Peninsula, call 838-4875 Call for an appointment: Monday- Friday, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m.
EnergyShare donations can be made by writing a check made payable to EnergyShare and sending it to:
EnergyShare
P.O. Box 12737
Norfolk, VA 23541-0737
About Virginia Natural Gas Virginia Natural Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of AGL Resources Inc., provides retail natural gas sales and distribution services to 260,000 customers in southeastern Virginia. For more information, visit
www.virginianturalgas.com.
About AGL Resources AGL Resources (NYSE: ATG), an Atlanta-based energy services holding company, serves 2.3 million customers in six states through its utility subsidiaries - Atlanta Gas Light, Elizabethtown Gas in New Jersey, Virginia Natural Gas, Florida City Gas, Chattanooga Gas, and Elkton Gas in Maryland. A Fortune 1000 company that ranks number 46 in the Fortune gas and electric utilities sector, AGL Resources reported 2004 revenue of $1.8 billion and net income of $153 million. The company also owns Houston-based Sequent Energy Management, an asset manager serving natural gas wholesale customers throughout the East and Midwest. As a 70 percent owner in the SouthStar partnership, AGL Resources markets natural gas to consumers in Georgia under the Georgia Natural Gas brand. AGL Networks, the company's telecommunications subsidiary, owns and operates fiber optic networks in Atlanta and Phoenix. The company also owns and operates Jefferson Island Storage & Hub, a high-deliverability natural gas storage facility near the Henry Hub in Louisiana. For more information, visit
www.aglresources.com.
About The Salvation Army The Salvation Army is in more than 100 countries worldwide, providing hope in many different languages. Where there is need, you'll find The Salvation Army. The Salvation Army has been meeting the needs of the Hampton Roads area since 1905. During this century of service, The Salvation Army has strived - each day - to reach the hungry, the homeless and the lost. For more information, visit
www.uss.salvationarmy.org/uss/www_uss_tidewater.nsf.
About The STOP Organization STOP was created in 1965 as the Community Action Agency to serve South Hampton Roads. A nonprofit Agency governed by a Board of Directors, STOP's annual budget exceeds $18 million. STOP's mission is to provide a range of services and activities which have quantifiable and potentially major impacts on the root causes of poverty. STOP focuses its efforts in areas impeding the achievement of self-sufficiency among the poor. Several program areas have been identified for service delivery, including employment, education, housing, emergency services, nutrition and child care services STOP operates in the Virginia Planning District #23, which estimates its population at more than 258,000. STOP's current projected target population exceeds 150,000 individuals, encompassing households at or below 125% of the poverty level as identified by the Federal Government. STOP recognizes that specific dysfunctions within a family are general indicators of multiple problems. Therefore, the "Total Family Concepts" is espoused in its delivery program. Families are provided with a range of services that extends beyond treatment of the problem immediately at hand. STOP has years of experience providing services to its low-income population through its diverse program offerings. There are multiple programs and services available through these components: Employment, Education, Housing, Emergency Services, Nutrition, and Childcare Services. The Stop Organization can be reached at (757) 858-1360.
About The Office of Human Affairs (OHA) The OHA serves the Peninsula, primarily the cities of Hampton and Newport News. It has been involved since 1966 in the struggle to eliminate poverty by enabling citizens to achieve self-sufficiency. "A Hand Up, Not a Hand Out." That is the motto of the Community Action Movement and OHA. Self-help and self-determination are the keys. That's what makes the difference. With these words, the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 created the Office of Economic Opportunity. In July 1965, the Newport News City Council formed the Newport News Economic Opportunity committee to carry out the national objectives of the Act at the local level. Its objectives were to identify and focus all available local, state, private, and federal resources on opportunities for low-income families and individuals to attain the skills and knowledge needed to become self-sufficient. From that date in 1966 until the present, this Agency (now known as the Office of Human Affairs) has continued to serve the needs of low-income families and individuals by offering a variety of services designed to assist them in their endeavors to become self-sufficient. The Office of Human Affairs became incorporated in July 1992 and a not-for-profit 501-c3 organization in April 1993. The Office of Human affairs can be reached at (757) 245-3271.
SOURCE: AGL Resources VNG Public Affairs Jose Simon, 757-616-7507 Cell: 757-880-5090 jsimon@aglresources.com or AGL Resources Media Relations Nick Gold, 404-584-3457 Cell: 404-275-9501 ngold@aglresources.com