This winter has been especially brutal, with January seeing several below-freezing days and nights and continued snow and frigid temperatures forecast for the rest of the season.
In the Philadelphia area—where Essential Utilities and Aqua Pennsylvania are headquartered—more than 300,000 children are living in low-income and homeless situations, putting them at risk of health complications and other setbacks due to the cold. Any exposure to freezing conditions without proper clothing can cause children, who are especially vulnerable to the cold, to quickly experience weather-related health problems.
As a utilities provider committed to ensuring safe and reliable access to essential resources, we recognize the need to step up for our community in other meaningful ways.
This winter, Aqua teamed up with Cradles to Crayons, an award-winning nonprofit organization that provides Philadelphia-area children living in low-income situations with the essential items they need for home, school and play. As the presenting sponsor of the nonprofit’s Gear Up For Winter campaign, Aqua donated $50,000 through the Essential Foundation to enable Cradles to Crayons to continue their mission of distributing warm winter coats and other essentials to families who need them most. The program will serve 35,000 local children with warm winter clothing and will distribute 10,000 winter coats.
To directly support the campaign, Aqua collected monetary donations, coats and warm clothing for children through an employee-led collection drive in December. In addition, Aqua employees demonstrated their continued commitment to the mission by participating in an in-house volunteer event as part of Cradles to Crayons’ Ready for Learning initiative. During this January 26 event, volunteers packed 2,500 colorful backpacks with school supplies and heartfelt notes to be distributed throughout the Philadelphia area.
We are committed to contributing time and resources to make long-term investments in the well-being of the areas we serve, and routinely look for ways to partner with nonprofit organizations who do the same. We recognize the importance of providing these basic necessities to children in our local community, and we are honored to contribute financially and through our corporate volunteers.
We encourage you to join us in a season of giving that lasts all year long. Find ways to contribute time and resources to make a meaningful difference in your own community and you just might be surprised at who benefits the most.
