Merrillville, Ind. — NIPSCO and the NiSource Charitable Foundation, the charitable foundation supported by NIPSCO’s parent company NiSource Inc. (NYSE:NI), announced today a commitment of $97,000 in funding from the foundation to 18 organizations across the 30 northern Indiana counties NIPSCO serves.
The contributions are intended to support the delivery of emergency services and hunger relief to local communities in need as a result of the COVID-19 public health crisis. These funds are in addition to the $400,000 donation made in March 2020 by the NiSource Charitable Foundation to the American Red Cross in Indiana.
Organizations selected to receive the COVID-19-related funding:
- Combined Community Services, Kosciusko County, food and bill assistance
- Community Harvest of Northeast Indiana, farm wagon mobile pantries
- Food Bank of Northern Indiana, food pantry
- Franciscan Foundation, personal protective equipment and medical supplies
- Ivy Tech Foundation, Kokomo Region, student food and bill assistance
- Lake Area United Way, childcare grants
- Lake County Salvation Army, food and housing assistance
- Living Well in Wabash County, community cupboard and senior meals
- Northwest Indiana Food Bank, hunger relief
- The Rescue Mission, serving 10 northeast Indiana counties, community meals
- United Way of Allen County, emergency relief fund
- United Way of Cass County, emergency relief fund
- United Way of Elkhart County, hunger and housing relief
- United Way of Howard County, emergency relief
- United Way of LaPorte County, food pantry and emergency needs
- United Way of Porter County, childcare, food and bill assistance
- United Way of St. Joseph County, childcare, food and bill assistance
- United Way of White County, operations support
“As the need continues for providing vital services and critical care to those individuals and families most impacted by COVID-19, we’re pleased to partner with several local organizations to help maximize that aid across the communities we serve,” said NIPSCO vice president of communications and external affairs, Jennifer Montague. “Getting through an event of this magnitude requires all of us working together and doing all that we can to provide support.”
NIPSCO has also taken a number of actions to help customers through the COVID-19 pandemic, including suspending shutoffs for non-payment and waiving late payment fees until further notice. In addition, the company is offering its most flexible payment plans to customers impacted by or facing hardship due to COVID-19. Customers should contact NIPSCO directly for payment plan details.
Customers may also qualify for assistance from a number of community action agencies. The CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act has allocated additional funding to programs like the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program and the Community Services Block Grant. These programs can help individuals and families cover costs related to energy bills, employment, education, transportation, food, housing and more.
For full details of the company’s COVID-19 response, visit NiSource.com or NIPSCO.com/coronavirus.
To learn more about how NIPSCO Gives Back, visit NIPSCO.com/community.
About NiSource Charitable Foundation: NiSource established the NiSource Charitable Foundation, with a mission to help create strong and sustainable communities where our employees and customers live and work. In close collaboration with NiSource employees and community partners, the foundation seeks opportunities to provide funding and encourage volunteer support for non-profit organizations in the areas of safety, economic and workforce development, environmental stewardship, STEM and energy education and basic needs and hardship assistance.
About NIPSCO: Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO), with headquarters in Merrillville, Indiana, has proudly served the energy needs of northern Indiana for more than 100 years. As Indiana’s largest natural gas distribution company and the second-largest electric distribution company, NIPSCO serves approximately 810,000 natural gas and 460,000 electric customers across 32 counties. NIPSCO is part of NiSource’s (NYSE: NI) seven regulated utility companies. NiSource is one of the largest fully regulated utility companies in the United States, serving approximately 4 million natural gas and electric customers through its local Columbia Gas and NIPSCO brands. More information about NIPSCO and NiSource is available at NIPSCO.com and NiSource.com.