Consumers Energy Foundation Makes Over $480,000 in Grants to Help Michigan Nonprofits with COVID-19 Relief

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Jan 05, 2021, 06:00 ET

JACKSON, Mich., Jan. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Consumers Energy Foundation today announced over $480,000 in grants to help Michigan nonprofits provide critical help to communities across Michigan. The Foundation has now provided $5.4 million in direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic since March.

"Consumers Energy is committed to being part of the solution as Michiganders work toward brighter days ahead this year," said Garrick Rochow, Consumers Energy's president and CEO. "These are extraordinary times, and we are humbled to play a part in supporting organizations that are doing so much for our communities."

The Consumers Energy Foundation grants support those working on the front lines to directly meet basic needs such as food and shelter. They include $200,000 for the Food Bank Council of Michigan to address food insecurity, including mobile food distributions across the state.

Other grants:

Community Economic Development Association of Michigan – $100,000
Greater Lansing Food Bank's Building Hope Campaign – $50,000
Start Garden (Grand Rapids) – $30,000
Macomb County Rotating Emergency Shelter Team (MCREST) – $25,000
Community Homeworks (Kalamazoo) – $15,000
Nonprofit Network (Jackson) – $15,000
Degage Ministries (Grand Rapids) – $10,000
Devereaux Memorial Library (Grayling) – $10,000
Trauma Recovery Associates (Kalamazoo) – $10,000
Disability Services Resource Center (Bay City) – $5,000
Motherly Intercession (Flint) – $5,000
Urban Roots (Grand Rapids) – $5,000
Open Door Outreach Center (Oakland County) – $2,500

Consumers Energy has helped Michigan residents and small businesses in various ways since the pandemic started in March. The company offered $12 million in direct assistance to help customers with bills if they were affected by the pandemic.

About $2.5 million in Foundation grants have supported small businesses, and the company's "Our Town" campaign put another $850,000 into communities through gift cards for local shopping.

"With the first vaccines now being distributed, we're hopeful Michigan and the nation will defeat the pandemic this year. We also know we and others can't let up in our effort to stay safe and support each other," Rochow said. "These new dollars from our Foundation will help thousands of people in many communities, and we'll continue to look for ways we can do more."

The Consumers Energy Foundation is the charitable arm of Consumers Energy. The Foundation enables communities to thrive and grow by investing in what's most important to Michigan — its people, our planet and Michigan's prosperity. For more information, visit www.ConsumersEnergy.com/foundation.

Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest energy provider, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.7 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

For more information about Consumers Energy, go to ConsumersEnergy.com.

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SOURCE Consumers Energy