BENTON HARBOR, Mich. – The Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency (SMCAA) is proud to announce a donation of more than $8,000 from Indiana Michigan Power (I&M).
The money will help The SMCAA address hunger issues in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties. Last year, our organization served more than 22,000 families and this donation will help further extend our helping hand in the Southwest Michigan community.
“As our agency pushes forward during this trying and unprecedented time, we are both humbled and honored for I&M’s continued support of Community Action. Their donation has been critical to the work we continue to do for the residents of Southwest Michigan,” said Kim Smith Oldham, Executive Director, Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency. “As more and more individuals face challenges due to this pandemic, SMCAA is able to battle at the frontline in large part to their assistance and we want to express our great gratitude.”
The donation, with approval from the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), is related to changes in cost associated with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA). The TCJA took effect in December 2017 and resulted in the lowering of customer bills to reflect the impact of lower federal corporate income tax rates. After I&M customer bills reflected the impact of lower corporate income tax rates, I&M donated remaining funds to the SMCAA.
“The Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency facilitates change, provides hope and makes our communities a better place to live. All those goals align with our vision at I&M,” said Gina Kostoff, Energy Efficiency Residential Liaison Manager. “I&M is dedicated to improving the lives of our communities and customers, and this donation ensures our neighbors have food for their families.”
The donation will go into The SMCAA’s Food Giveaway’s program which addresses the need of food during this crisis.
# # #
ABOUT SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY: SMCAA is a private,
non-profit Community Action Agency- part of a state and national network. SMCAA brings together federal and state grants funds as well as dollars from local, private and public sources. These resources are then directed into programs which aid the low income and otherwise disadvantaged throughout the age spectrum, from preschoolers to the elderly of southwestern Michigan. The funds include dollars which are targeted at very specific problems, as well
as dollars which are more flexible in nature. SMCAA has the following services: Senior and Family commodity food programs, Food Pantry, emergency utility and rental assistance,
Family Homeless Shelter in Van Buren County, Homebuyer Education Workshops, Weatherization program and the Michigan Mask up program.
ABOUT INDIANA MICHIGAN POWER: Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is headquartered in Fort Wayne, and its approximately 2,100 employees serve more than 599,000 customers. More than two-thirds of its energy delivered in 2019 was emission-free. I&M has at its availability various sources of generation including 2,278 MW of nuclear generation in Michigan, 450 MW of purchased wind generation from Indiana, more than 22 MW of hydro generation in both states and approximately 15 MW of large-scale solar generation in both states. The company’s generation portfolio also includes 2,620 MW of coal-fueled generation in Indiana.
American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP’s approximately 17,400 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 221,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.5 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with more than 30,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including approximately 5,300 megawatts of renewable energy. AEP’s family of companies includes utilities 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, east Texas and the Texas Panhandle). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners, and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide. For more information, visit aep.com.