SoCalGas and the Latino Restaurant Association Partner to Feed Healthcare Workers in Riverside and San Bernardino County

SoCalGas' donation provides 1,500 meals to Riverside and Colton healthcare workers and supports local restaurants

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Jun 18, 2020, 16:40 ET

LOS ANGELES, June 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) and the Latino Restaurant Association (LRA) today hosted an event to feed one thousand healthcare workers from Riverside Community Hospital. Members from the Front Line Appreciation Group (FLAG) also supported the event, distributing meals provided by local Latino-owned restaurants. The event was made possible thanks to grants from SoCalGas to LRA's Feed Frontliners Program, which provides support to healthcare workers. SoCalGas and LRA also fed 500 healthcare workers from Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton earlier this week. Please see here for photos from the event.

LRA Logo

"So grateful to SoCalGas for serving our health care workers on the front lines of the battles against COVID-19," said Riverside Mayor Rusty Bailey. "While it may seem that lunch is a small thing, the gesture and some tasty food go a long way to motivate and inspire others."

"These are unprecedented times for our community and as we work to reduce the impact of this pandemic, we thank SoCalGas and LRA for their generosity," said Jackie DeSouza-Van Blaricum, president and CEO at Riverside Community Hospital. "Today's event truly captured the community's gratitude towards our healthcare workers who have been working on the frontlines of this pandemic."

"Arrowhead Regional Medical Center Foundation truly appreciates SoCalGas and LRA bringing the Feed Frontliners program to San Bernardino," said David Glick, executive director at the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center Foundation. "This is another great example of how our communities are stepping up in incredible ways to support the brave women and men on the front lines of this pandemic."

"We're proud to partner with LRA and FLAG in recognizing and supporting Riverside frontline workers and local restaurants who have been hardest hit during this pandemic," said Lea Petersen, public affairs manager at SoCalGas. "My heartfelt thanks go out to all our first responders who have worked tirelessly for months protecting and caring for the lives of others while putting themselves at higher risk."

Meals for the events were prepared by LRA member restaurant chain – Miguel's Jr. SoCalGas' grant to the Feed Frontliners Program helped fund the purchases of the meals, which will support the restaurant whose business has been impacted by the pandemic.

"The LRA is very excited to partner with our friends from SoCalGas and Riverside and San Bernardino Counties to proudly support our Latino Restaurants," said Tati Polo, LRA cofounder. "By purchasing food from Latino Restaurants and providing delicious meals to our wonderful frontline heroes we focus on two amazing and hard-working groups! Our beloved healthcare staff have been working hard to help manage the flow of COVID-19 and deserve a huge thank you for all of their hard work."

SoCalGas is dedicated to supporting the health, safety, and wellness of our community. In addition to supporting the LRA's Feed Frontliners Program events, the utility has donated more than $2 million to nonprofit organizations to support the region's workforce, feed the hungry, provide bill assistance to customers, and more as part of their COVID-19 recovery efforts. Together, the Sempra Energy family of companies – including SoCalGas' sister California utility San Diego Gas and Electric, and the Sempra Energy Foundation – have donated more than $12 million to those in need during this crisis.

For more information about SoCalGas' response to the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit www.socalgas.com/coronavirus.

About SoCalGas

Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest gas distribution utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers affordable, reliable, clean and increasingly renewable gas service to 21.8 million customers across 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California, where more than 90 percent of residents use natural gas for heating, hot water, cooking, drying clothes or other uses. Gas delivered through the company's pipelines also plays a key role in providing electricity to Californians— about 45 percent of electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.

SoCalGas' vision is to be the cleanest gas utility in North America , delivering affordable and increasingly renewable energy to its customers. In support of that vision, SoCalGas is committed to replacing 20 percent of its traditional natural gas supply with renewable natural gas (RNG) by 2030. Renewable natural gas is made from waste created by dairy farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is also committed to investing in its gas delivery infrastructure while keeping bills affordable for our customers. From 2014 through 2018, the company invested nearly $6.5 billion to upgrade and modernize its pipeline system to enhance safety and reliability. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), an energy services holding company based in San Diego. For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook.

About the Latino Restaurant Association

The Latino Restaurant Association promotes, supports and educates restaurateurs and small business owners to ensure the equitable economic growth of the Latino restaurant sector. As a member association we work to bring our member community together to advocate for the critical issues impacting our industry and provide resources and educational opportunities to support efficient business practices. The LRA strives to create an all-inclusive Latino restaurant platform for the country.

SOURCE Southern California Gas Company