Chesapeake Utilities Corporation donates $26,500 and 1,000 meals towards Food Bank of Delaware “Thanksgiving for All” food distribution

November 18, 2016

Thanks to a $26,500 donation from Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (“Chesapeake”) and the generosity of its employee volunteers who helped distribute 1,000 Thanksgiving meal boxes, more Delaware families will be able to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner this year.

Over the past five years, Chesapeake has donated $122,000 to ensure that Kent and Sussex County residents have access to a hot Thanksgiving meal.

Through the Food Bank of Delaware’s Thanksgiving for All program, Chesapeake employees from its business units Chesapeake Utilities, Eastern Shore Natural Gas Company, Sandpiper Energy, Sharp Energy, PESCO and Aspire Energy as well as the corporate office distributed Thanksgiving dinner food boxes at six sites in Kent County and Sussex County.  Each box was filled with the makings of a festive holiday meal, including stuffing and mashed potato mixes, shelf-stable milk, cranberry sauce and more, and then topped with a frozen turkey.  Prior to the distributions, volunteer crews from Chesapeake worked several shifts to pack the boxes that the Food Bank delivered to the distribution sites.

The company’s hard-working volunteers staffed the distribution operations at each site. In all, 219 employees volunteered 849 hours to the Food Bank of Delaware to complete the Thanksgiving for All project. Among the volunteers was Chesapeake’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Michael P. McMasters.

“This is our fifth year partnering with the Food Bank of Delaware to provide Thanksgiving meals for families on Delmarva,” said  McMasters. “Our employees care about our communities, and get a great deal of satisfaction by making that personal connection with our customers and community members from all over the state. Giving back is an important part of who we are as a Company and we’re very thankful for our partnership with the Food Bank of Delaware.”

“We continue to be grateful for Chesapeake’s support,” said Chad Robinson, Milford Branch Director of the Food Bank of Delaware. “We know we can rely on the team to ensure that our community has a hot Thanksgiving meal on the table. In addition to their generosity during the holiday season, Chesapeake recognizes the importance of fighting hunger year round. This Thanksgiving we are thankful for their commitment to our vision of a community free of hunger.”

In addition to the holiday food distribution, Chesapeake Utilities Corporation also makes funding available to ensure that the elderly, ill and those facing financial hardship are not forgotten during the cold winter months when energy bills are at their peak. Grants are available to income-eligible customers of the Company’s Chesapeake Utilities and Sharp Energy business units, with additional amounts available for those over the age of 60. Also, the SHARING program has additional grants for appliance purchases or repair; the recently unemployed; and customers who are in need due to serious illness or family tragedy. Learn more about SHARING at www.chesapeakesharing.com.

Chesapeake provides natural gas and propane to over 108,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania through its Chesapeake Utilities, Sandpiper Energy and Sharp Energy business units.

For more information on how to volunteer at the Food Bank of Delaware or about the Food Bank’s outreach throughout the year, visit www.fbd.org.