Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE: WTRG) announced today more than $800,000 in total contributions for the United Way during the company’s 2023-2024 giving campaign, The Essential Way. The total donation was achieved through a matching gift from the company’s Essential Foundation on top of individual pledges made by employees from its water and gas segments, Aqua and Peoples Natural Gas.
More than 2,000 employees participated in the campaign to support 479 deserving community organizations, including United Way organizations across Essential’s nine-state footprint and many other nonprofits in the United Way network. Aqua and Peoples have partnered with the United Way for more than two decades, donating more than $3.1 million in just the past four years since the companies united under Essential Utilities.
The United Way employee giving program allows team members to direct their contributions to causes that are important to them and their local community. Employees selected a variety of initiatives, including health and human services, education, housing and hunger relief, the environment, animal welfare and more. The corporate match will be directed to those same organizations through the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey and the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, as the hosts of the campaign.
“While I am absolutely thrilled by our team’s generosity, I’m not surprised—our Essential employees are deeply passionate about improving the communities we serve, through the work we do each day in providing Earth’s most natural resources, and by giving back to deserving community causes,” said Essential Chairman and CEO Christopher Franklin. “We are proud to partner with the United Way, and we look forward to continuing our collective positive impact that ripples across our service territory through meaningful contributions and employee volunteerism.”
In the Philadelphia region, the company ranked among the top 7% of over 250 workplace campaigns in the nine-county region served by the nonprofit. The campaign saw increased employee participation across the board, up 15.5% among employees company-wide, and 17% in the Greater Philadelphia region, from the 2022 campaign. This is a huge accomplishment and one of the highest increases across all sectors that host workplace campaigns.
When asked what makes the Essential campaign so significant, Bill Golderer, President and CEO of the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey said, “It’s the generosity, the heart, the commitment…we just came through the pandemic, and without the strength of that workplace campaign, our communities would have really suffered. It’s one of the strongest, most reliable, and one of the fastest growing campaigns in our entire footprint, and that collective giving provides the fuel for our neighbors to overcome the obstacles that they face every day.”
In Pittsburgh, Peoples Natural Gas has also partnered with the United Way on Pennsylvania’s 2-1-1 program, which helps to connect residents in need with resources available in their community, including help with utility bills, housing assistance and after-school programming for children.
“I’ve had the opportunity to interact with Essential employees at all levels in this community, and it’s an organization of people who care about and deliver on promises to help us build a better region, and I’m very thankful for that,” shared Bobbi Watt Geer, President & CEO of the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
The United Way Campaign is part of Essential’s commitment to the communities it serves. In 2023 alone, the company donated $5 million to charitable initiatives that support health and human services, environmental causes, economic development, diversity and inclusion, education and emergency services.
About Essential
Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG) delivers safe, clean, reliable services that improve quality of life for individuals, families, and entire communities. With a focus on water, wastewater and natural gas, Essential is committed to sustainable growth, operational excellence, a superior customer experience, and premier employer status. We are advocates for the communities we serve and are dedicated stewards of natural lands, protecting more than 7,600 acres of forests and other habitats throughout our footprint.
Operating as the Aqua and Peoples brands, Essential serves approximately 5.5 million people across 9 states. Essential is one of the most significant publicly traded water, wastewater service and natural gas providers in the U.S. Learn more at www.essential.co.
About United Way
United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (UWGPSNJ) is on a mission to end poverty and expand opportunity for all. Serving Pennsylvania’s Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, and New Jersey’s Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May and Cumberland counties, United Way creates solutions that break the cycle of poverty. As part of a network of independent local nonprofit organizations, United Way provides countless ways to give, advocate and volunteer. To learn more, visit www.unitedforimpact.org.
