WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Washington Gas, a WGL Holdings, Inc. company (NYSE: WGL), is joining The Salvation Army, Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards, Washington Mystics, AltaGas, NBC4, WTOP, The Washington Post and numerous other partners to promote the critical need for winter heating assistance. The organizations are supporting the first-ever Ice House fundraiser to benefit the Washington Area Fuel Fund (WAFF), which serves thousands of families in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia who struggle to pay their utility bills and are at risk of living in the cold.
The WAFF Ice House will be located at the Washington Harbour in Georgetown from January 18-20. The house, designed and built by Ice Lab, consists of 60 blocks of ice that simulate the difficult conditions faced when a home is without heat. The event will be open to the public from 2 to 8 p.m. on January 18, 2 to 9 p.m. on January 19 and noon to 9 p.m. on January 20 with challenges, contests, entertainment and more to help connect people with WAFF’s mission to warm homes.
The issue of heating assistance has become even more pronounced this year with the colder than normal winter the Washington, D.C., area has been experiencing. Fewer than 2 in 10 people eligible for federal energy assistance actually receive it because there are not enough funds to meet the demand. In addition, families living in poverty spend more than 30 percent of their income on energy bills.
“The need to help our neighbors with heating assistance has never been greater and that’s why we are so committed to raising awareness about this critical issue,” said Adrian Chapman, President and Chief Operating Officer, Washington Gas. “As a company dedicated to caring for our community throughout our 170-year history, we know our neighbors always join us in helping those in need. That’s why we started WAFF 35 years ago and every year, our employees, customers and residents step up to help us keep area families warm.”
WAFF, a philanthropic initiative formed in 1983 by Washington Gas in partnership with The Salvation Army, bridges this assistance gap to provide emergency funds to families, veterans, seniors and others who lack resources to pay their heating bills. Importantly, 100 percent of all donations WAFF receives goes directly to heating assistance because Washington Gas pays all administrative costs to operate the fund.
Local celebrities and executives of WGL companies will sit in the Ice House for 30-minute periods during the days’ activities to help draw attention to the cause and raise funds and awareness about this important issue.
More than 35 companies and individuals have raised $100,000 to date to support this WAFF fundraiser. Supporters include: The Salvation Army, AltaGas, NBC4, WTOP, The Washington Post, Monumental Sports and Entertainment, The American Gas Association, Infrasource, MasterPrint, Washington Harbour, National Energy and Utility Affordability Coalition, Accenture, Edison Electric Institute, ASD/SKY, WGL Energy, Miller Pipeline, Northern Pipeline, Kubra, Leftwich LLC, WSP, Washington Gas Light Federal Credit Union, Faneuil, Precision Pipeline, LLC, Williams Meter, Henkels & McCoy, G.S. Proctor & Associates, Inc., FleishmanHillard, Teamsters Local 96, Skoda Contracting, HCL, EN Engineering, Miller’s Office Products and Curran & Connors.
About WAFF
Washington Gas created the Washington Area Fuel Fund (WAFF) in 1983 in conjunction with The Salvation Army as its signature philanthropic program. Washington Gas pays for all administrative costs while The Salvation Army assists clients and manages the disbursement of funds through its 12 area offices. This ensures that 100 percent of all donations go to heating assistance. WAFF pays for all types of fuel. Since its inception, WAFF has disbursed nearly $26 million in energy assistance, serving more than 286,000 people. In 2017 alone, more than $773,000 was disbursed to more than 6,000 people. To make a donation or get more information, please go to www.waffhelp.org.
About Washington Gas
Washington Gas Light Company is a regulated natural gas utility providing safe, reliable natural gas service to more than 1.1 million customers in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. A subsidiary of WGL Holdings, Inc. (WGL), the company has been providing energy to residential, commercial and industrial customers for 170 years.
About WGL
WGL (NYSE: WGL), headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a leading source for clean, efficient and diverse energy solutions. With activities and assets across the U.S., WGL consists of Washington Gas, WGL Energy, WGL Midstream and Hampshire Gas. WGL provides options for natural gas, electricity, green power and energy services, including generation, storage, transportation, distribution, supply and efficiency. Our calling as a company is to make energy surprisingly easy for our employees, our community and all our customers. Whether you are a homeowner or renter, small business or multinational corporation, state and local or federal agency, WGL is here to provide Energy Answers. Ask Us. For more information, visit us at wgl.com.
