MidAmerican Energy Company Offers Donation Matching Program to Help Low-Income Customers This Winter
For more information, contact:
Ann Thelen, Director of Media Relations, at 515-281-2785
Mark Reinders, Communications Manager, at 712-277-7866
DES MOINES, Iowa – (Nov. 25, 2008) – MidAmerican Energy Company is asking its customers and employees to think of others this winter through participation in the I CARE assistance program and the Warm for the Holidays partnership with Clear Channel Radio.
I CARE helps customers who are unemployed, living on fixed or low incomes, or experiencing a family crisis by helping pay their heating bills or making their homes more energy efficient. To qualify, customers must meet their state’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program – often referred to as LIHEAP – guidelines.
I CARE funding comes from donations made by customers and employees with a 25 percent match by MidAmerican. Last year, customers and employees donated $303,900 and MidAmerican contributed $75,975. These tax-deductible donations help local community action agencies provide valuable financial assistance throughout their communities. All donations go directly to the agency that administers LIHEAP in the area where the contribution originated.
Contributing to I CARE is easy. Customers who live in Iowa, Illinois or Nebraska can make a contribution by adding $1, $2, $3, $4 or $5 (whole dollar amounts only) to their monthly MidAmerican payment. The overpayment is applied as an I CARE contribution. All customers, including those in South Dakota, can make a one-time or recurring monthly donation by filling out an electronic pledge form available on MidAmerican’s Web site at www.midamericanenergy.com or by calling MidAmerican at 888-427-5632.
“With unpredictable winter weather, the benefits of the I CARE program are especially meaningful for those individuals struggling to make ends meet,” said Terry Ousley, MidAmerican Energy’s vice president customer satisfaction.
To increase awareness of the I CARE program, MidAmerican and Clear Channel Radio are partnering for the fifth consecutive year on the Warm for the Holidays campaign. Warm for the Holidays live radio broadcasts on Clear Channel Radio stations in Des Moines, Iowa City, the Quad Cities and Waterloo will occur in December to inform listeners and solicit donations to the I CARE program. All Warm for the Holidays donations made through I CARE receive the 25 percent match by MidAmerican and are administered by agencies in the community where the event is held.
Customers can make contributions to I CARE at Warm for the Holidays events. A complete schedule of Warm for the Holidays events is available at www.warmfortheholidays.com. All donations go directly toward helping the disadvantaged and are not used to cover administrative costs.
Ousley encourages customers who are worried about paying their winter heating bills to call MidAmerican to make payment arrangements or to consider Budget Billing. “We want to work with customers to help them manage their energy usage and costs,” Ousley said.
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