GROVE CITY, Ohio; Dec. 8, 2010—AEP Ohio volunteers at Mid-Ohio Foodbank were busily filling boxes with nourishing food for the holidays today and foodbank volunteers will have plenty of packing to do in the coming weeks, thanks to a $304,391 gift received today from AEP Ohio.

The gift is part of AEP Ohio’s Partnership with Ohio (PWO) program that provides additional help in the areas of health, hunger and housing to Ohio’s needy families. The programs are designed to include families with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, a segment of the population that often does not qualify for state and federal aid.

"AEP Ohio established the Partnership with Ohio program to provide meaningful assistance to Ohioans in time of need," said Joe Hamrock, president and chief operating officer for AEP Ohio. "The help of outstanding agencies such as the Mid-Ohio Foodbank ensures that this contribution will be effective, and will quickly appear as healthy food on the table for thousands of families throughout the region."

Matt Habash, president and CEO of the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, said the gift from AEP Ohio comes just in time to help the growing numbers of hungry families in the region. Habash cited a U.S. Department of Agriculture report that indicated that more than one in seven Ohio households are at risk of hunger. 

"Demand at our network of food pantries is up 44-percent over the past four years and as colder weather arrives, things only get tougher for families across central and eastern Ohio who are already struggling to put food on the table," Habash said. "We are grateful for the support from AEP, making it possible to feed more families this holiday season."

Tom Froehle, AEP Ohio, vice president external affairs presented the check to Evelyn Behm, Mid-Ohio Foodbank Senior Vice President Food & Strategic Initiatives while AEP Ohio volunteers packed holiday food boxes. Additional donations totaling $500,000 are being made in time for the holidays to 10 foodbanks around the state. A list of those organizations is included.
 
AEP Ohio provides electricity to nearly 1.5 million customers of major AEP subsidiaries Columbus Southern Power Company and Ohio Power Company in Ohio, and Wheeling Power Company in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. AEP Ohio is based in Gahanna, Ohio, and is a unit of American Electric Power. News and information about AEP Ohio can be found at aepohio.com.
 
American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765-kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP’s transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP’s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.
 
Mid-Ohio Foodbank provides food to hundreds of thousands of hungry Ohioans each year by partnering with more than 500 emergency feeding sites across central and eastern Ohio, including food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, senior centers, and after-school programs.  For 30 years, the Foodbank has been dedicated to feeding hungry people by collecting and distributing food and grocery products, educating the community about hunger, advocating for hunger-relief programs, and collaborating with others who address basic human needs. In 2009, the Foodbank distributed 33.9 million pounds of food and grocery products to their partner charities. Mid-Ohio Foodbank is a member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief charity. For more information or to donate, visit midohiofoodbank.org.
###


Foodbanks Receiving AEPOhio PWO Gifts in December 2010
 
Akron Canton Regional Foodbank
Mid-Ohio Foodbank
Second Harvest of Southeast Ohio Foodbank
Free Store Foodbank
Western Ohio Foodbank
Second Harvest of Mahoning Valley Foodbank
Second Harvest of NC Ohio Foodbank
North West Ohio Foodbank
The Cleveland Foodbank
Shared Harvest Foodbank
Foodbank of Clark, Champlain and Logan Counties