Thousands of employees lend time and
talent to local causes
BROOKLYN, N.Y., Sept. 16,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 1,500 National Grid
employees will step away from their desks to volunteer with
community organizations and schools as they celebrate the fourth
anniversary of the company's Project C initiative. The
annual Week of Service commemorates the kickoff of Project C, which
aims to create meaningful, permanent change and strengthen
relationships in the communities where the company's employees live
and work.
"This week, we are reinforcing our commitment to our
New York neighbors by working on
local parks and trails, joining career and technical education
classrooms to discuss clean energy career pathways, and helping
organizations that address food insecurity," said Sally Librera, president, National Grid New
York. "Project C Week of Service is a highlight week
for our team, but serving the community is not a once-per-year
activity for National Grid. Our employees are volunteers and
leaders with local schools and organizations across our state,
sharing their time, talent and passion all year long."
Project C, funded by National Grid's shareholders,
supports people and communities in collaboration with local
partners by revitalizing neighborhoods, investing in beautification
programs for nonprofits, faith-based, arts and cultural
institutions; supporting climate justice and social equity
programs; and by assisting small businesses and local families. Due
to its positive reception in neighborhoods across the state, and
overwhelming support from partners and engagement of National Grid
employee volunteers, the program expanded to a week of service in
2023. It is in addition to company employees' year-round
volunteerism commitments that include service and leadership to
nonprofit organizations and local communities.
Dedicated groups of National Grid employees have spent months
planning and partnering with nonprofits, schools, community
centers, parks and other groups to deliver the activities scheduled
for Sept. 16 to Sept. 20.
In New York
City: National Grid volunteers will host a Resource
Fair in Bedford Stuyvesant with partners at Antioch Baptist Church,
providing a Pop-Up Pantry with fresh food and produce, energy
efficiency tips. and community resources. Volunteers will visit
Brookville Park in Queens to
paint structures, tend to gardens and remove debris in support of
City Parks Foundation. Other beautification efforts will take place
at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, Brooklyn's Prospect
Park with Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment as part of
the Threes for Trees program to plant 100 saplings and remove
evasive species and the Downtown Bayview corridor on
Staten Island. Volunteers
will build and launch a floating garden bed made with recycled
material and build storage shelves at the Reti Center in
Red Hook, an education center that
seeks to innovate waterfront communities and adapt to climate
change. Employees will also prepare and deliver meals to homebound
seniors served by Meals on Wheels.
On Long
Island: National Grid volunteers will join the New
York State Parks to cleanup Jones Beach
State Park and prepare its facilities for winter. A
team visiting United Veterans Beacon House in Bay Shore will be regrading and repaving
the driveway, installing a new flagpole and other upgrades to
improve the quality of life for the veteran residents. Colleagues
also will participate a home build in Wyandanch with Habitat for Humanity Long
Island, and a group will be restocking the Habitat for Humanity
Restore in Ronkonkoma. Volunteers
will beautify the grounds of the Cornell Cooperative
Extension campus in Riverhead, North Shore Child and Family
Guidance Center in Manhasset,
Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown, and West Brook Pond with the Seatuck Environmental
Association in Great River.
Other employees will distributing fresh groceries and other
health resources at our Pop Up Pantry & Resource Day at St.
Paul A.M.E. Church in Rockville Centre, working with guide dogs for
veterans at Smithtown's American's
VetsDogs. The National Grid Ventures team and EAC Network will be
spending time with seniors participating in activities and enjoying
lunch. Employees will also be washing cars and the funds will
be donated to the Safe Center LI.
In Eastern New
York: National Grid's annual career day at
its Schenectady service center on
Broadway will open its doors to hundreds of students from around
the area, including BOCES, Girls Inc., Northern Rivers,
Schenectady City School District,
and Schenectady SEAT Center. Students will learn more about careers
in electric and gas operations, engineering, community engagement
and other fields, and get a close-up look at the equipment and
expertise that make our work possible. A number of National Grid's
municipal and public safety partners will also attend the event,
giving students a view into career opportunities from a wide-range
of fields.
Employees will assist staff at the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society
to help with maintenance projects and sort returnable bottles and
cans. Employees will also assist Comfort Food
Communities picking vegetables for those having difficulties
making ends meet in challenging times. Other groups will renovate
the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of
Commerce Welcome Center and beautify the Sharon Springs
Cemetery.
In Central New
York: Employees will join career and technical
education classrooms at Syracuse
City School District high schools to discuss career pathways
in electric and gas operations, engineering and other areas. A
group of more than 80 volunteers will spread out across the
Onondaga Creekwalk to clear pathways, trim trees and make the
trail more walkable and safe. National Grid volunteers also will
help the Village of Canastota
install accessibility equipment at the Spencer Street Pool and Playground to make
both areas more inclusive to those with mobility issues.
Mohawk Valley employees will return to areas in the City of Rome that still bear scars from July's
tornado. Groups will help clear remaining debris on North James
Street and the Mohawk River trail. Teams of volunteers also will
paint a pavilion at Lock 20 Canal Park in Marcy. A group of Northern New York employees will assist ReNew
Bremen in the Town of New
Bremen by cleaning up its sports fields, rail trail and
playground, and laying down new mulch.
National Grid will also provide cooks and servers for the United
Way of Oswego County's annual
Stone Soup luncheon in Pulaski.
This annual event collects nonperishable food items and raises
funds to support Oswego County's
food pantries.
In Western New
York: Around 150 National Grid employees got a head
start on the Week of Service on Sept.
11 by assisting with restoration of historic ships docked at
Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park. National Grid
specialists in welding and electrical work contributed their
skills, while other volunteers scraped and painted boats moored
near the Buffalo River.
On Sept. 17, a team of employees
will visit Whispering River Animal Rescue in Gasport to help the charity build new stalls
and living areas for abused and neglected farm animals in their
care Volunteer groups will also perform cleanups and other
beautification tasks at the Buffalo Zoo, Operation Warm Hearts in
Olean, and Community Action of
Orleans & Genesee.
Project C is National Grid's Community
Commitment to:
- Build a better future by Connecting our communities
to clean and sustainable energy.
- Care for our neighborhoods and their
revitalization.
- Compassionately address the challenges our
customers face, including environmental justice and social
equity.
- Create the workforce that will help build
New York's clean energy delivery
system.
- Collaborate with our customers, partners,
stakeholders and so many others to deliver the clean, fair,
resilient, and affordable energy future.
Since launching Project C in September 2021, National Grid has supported
183,000 local businesses, launched 1,100 community partnerships,
planted or donated 2,600 trees, trained 6,000 workers to grow the
clean energy workforce, and adopted 60 parks to revitalize
gathering spaces.
As part of the company's Responsible Business
Charter, National Grid has committed to amassing 500,000
volunteer hours by 2030. In addition, across New York, the company contributes more than
$5 million annually to
community-based organizations through its Corporate Citizenship
efforts, including the National Grid Foundation.
Along with volunteerism, Project C focuses on
four key areas: clean energy and sustainability; workforce
development; neighborhood investment and community engagement; and
environmental justice and social equity. Learn more about
National Grid's Project C initiative at
ngrid.com/project-c.
About National Grid
National Grid (NYSE: NGG) is an electricity, natural gas,
and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million
people through our networks in New
York and Massachusetts.
National Grid is focused on building a smarter, stronger, cleaner
energy future — transforming our networks with more reliable and
resilient energy solutions to meet state climate goals and reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
For more information, please visit our website, follow us
on Twitter, watch us on YouTube, like us
on Facebook and find us on Instagram.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fourth-annual-national-grid-project-c-week-of-service-celebrates-companys-commitment-to-its-communities-302248583.html
SOURCE National Grid