Volunteerism and Community Support
Many of our employees donate their time and expertise, often on weekends, to our communities and neighbors through our volunteer program. Whether assisting local food banks, holding team-building exercises or connecting with local community and environmental organizations, our employees continue to give back to their communities.
Volunteer Program Results
At a wide variety of PG&E-organized events, 5,500 employees volunteered 27,500 hours in 2010—exceeding our employee volunteer targets. This translated into approximately $587,400 in equivalent labor, using the industry standard value of $21.36 for a volunteer hour. For 2011, we have set more aggressive targets of 28,875 hours from 5,775 employees at PG&E-sponsored volunteer events, a 5 percent increase.
Earth Day
Forty years after the first Earth Day, more than 900 volunteers—including employees, their friends and families—spent time at 10 sites throughout our service area, showing a strong spirit of teamwork, community involvement and environmental stewardship. Working in partnership with the California State Parks Foundation, volunteers worked on a Saturday to remove non-native plants, install fences, paint buildings, extend a boardwalk and remove graffiti.
Supporting Food Banks and Meal Providers
PG&E volunteers work with various local non-profit organizations to increase access to healthy, fresh foods. Last year, our support ranged from repacking bulk foods at community food banks in 10 counties to directly serving clients in Fresno and San Francisco Counties.
As a complementary effort, the San Francisco Food Bank’s first hybrid truck was purchased with the guidance and assistance of PG&E transportation experts last year. The truck’s reduced operating costs will allow the Food Bank to deliver an additional 8,500 pounds of food per month using a third less fuel.
Supporting Communities in Need
Our “Coats 4 Kids” drive in 2010 collected more than 6,300 warm clothing items, which were donated by employees and customers at nearly 60 different locations across our service area. This included a Girl Scout troop that turned the drive into a team project. Habitat for Humanity, the Salvation Army and homes for abused women and children were among the organizations that received clothing. It was one of many ways our volunteers lent a hand during the holiday season.
Serving the Community Through Non-Profit Boards
PG&E supports our communities through the active participation of its leadership on many nonprofit boards. PG&E’s goal is for 100 percent of its officers to serve on non-profit boards; at 85 percent participation, we are well on our way to achieving this goal. Officers sit on the boards of a diverse group of non-profits, such as California State Parks Foundation, United Negro College Fund and Leadership California. PG&E employees from throughout the organization are sought after as members of non-profit boards, and they serve a range of organizations.
Volunteer Program and Community Awards
PG&E is an active participant in the lives of the communities we serve, supporting the good work of hundreds of local civic organizations. Here are some of the community awards we received for our work in 2010:
- Corporate Community Champion Award—Volunteer Center of San Francisco and San Mateo Counties
- Critical Impact Award—Council on Foundations
- Top Corporate Philanthropists in the Greater Bay Area—San Francisco Business Times
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