Helping communities power through a challenging year
Employees donate thousands of volunteer hours, dollars to COVID-19 relief
Every year, employees and retirees at Xcel Energy give back to local organizations they care about, and in 2020, they stepped up even more to support communities and customers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and civic unrest.
Xcel Energy committed nearly $20 million from the sale of a company asset to short-and long-term giving, including funding for COVID-19 relief, in addition to programs for racial equity and social justice. That includes $1.5 million donated by Xcel Energy and its Foundation to organizations that address food insecurity and provide disaster relief. The company also pledged $300,000 to help fund learning pods to help Black and other minority students in Minnesota receive distance learning support, along with $750,000 to support Colorado restaurants during the winter season.
photo by Downtown Denver Partnership
“We at Xcel Energy are committed to doing all we can to support our customers and our communities during these very challenging times,” said Ben Fowke, chairman and CEO of Xcel Energy. “I am extremely proud of how our employees are rising to these new challenges, delivering the service our customers expect, while putting a stronger focus than ever on supporting our communities and giving back in the places we work and live.”
In Minnesota, the company has taken a range of steps to help support customers and communities through this challenging year, such as providing more than $17 million for a new program to help residential customers who are behind on their energy bills and $2 million in funding to support small businesses impacted by the pandemic response and civil unrest. The company has also proposed an additional $2 billion in accelerated and incremental investments in clean energy projects and other initiatives to create jobs and jump-start Minnesota’s economy.
Employees give back in big way
Combined with the Xcel Energy Foundation's matching funds, Xcel Energy employees and retirees company-wide contributed $6.2 million to their favorite nonprofits in 2020, with $4.8 million coming from the annual United Way campaign.
Employees also volunteered over 8,500 hours to help nonprofits in their communities through the Foundation’s Dollars for Doing program during 2020. The Foundation matched those hours with another $74,000 to those nonprofits.
For the past 10 years, Xcel Energy’s Day of Service has been an annual tradition where employees volunteer together at local nonprofits. This year, more than 4,500 volunteers supported 90 nonprofits and community organizations through safe, socially distanced in-person activities and remote projects. Together they donated more than 11,300 hours of service by packing meals and assembling hygiene kits for people experiencing homelessness. Others distributed fresh produce to families in need, assembled thousands of school supply kits, and made dozens of blankets.
Giving back to the communities it serves is a core value at Xcel Energy. That is why the company offers employees up to 40 hours a year of paid time off to volunteer, and in 2020, that added up to more than 7,000 hours. Visit the company's career page to view job opportunities and benefits, such as employee giving programs.