RICHMOND, Va. – The Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation has awarded grants to 59 nonprofit organizations in Virginia. Totaling more than $600 thousand, the grants will support essential human services.

“The pandemic amplified the most basic human needs including food, shelter and medical care,” said Hunter A. Applewhite, President of the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation. “We are proud to support these worthy non-profits across our footprint, making a tremendous impact in their local communities. This work is more important now than ever.”

Through the Critical Community Needs Grants, the foundation has provided more than $1 million this year to 206 total organizations across Dominion Energy’s footprint.

A few examples of this year's Virginia grant recipients include:

• Judeo-Christian Outreach Center (Virginia Beach) to support emergency housing and daily feeding programs.
• Avalon: A Center for Women and Children (Williamsburg) to purchase and install generators at Avalon's apartment buildings, which house survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse.
• St. Mary's Home for Disabled Children (Norfolk) to purchase equipment that will make it possible for children and young adults to begin interacting with others more frequently. The Tru-D disinfection machine and PPE will provide the healthiest conditions possible to keep residents safe.
• La Cocina (Alexandria) to increase their Healthy Food Assistance Program from 13,000 to 40,000 healthy meals annually, providing additional food security and helping individuals recover from the pandemic.
• Northern Virginia Family Service (Fairfax) to sustain language-specific, trauma-informed, affordable mental health services across Northern Virginia.
• Wesley Housing Development Corp. (Alexandria) to provide emergency relief supportive services to historically under-resourced persons (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color [BIPOC] and women), to achieve a more equitable society. Services include: eviction prevention, employment counseling, and material assistance.

“To say it's been a challenging time this past year would be an understatement,” said Teresa L. Christin, Executive Director of the Avalon Center. “But we keep going because of the support of our community and businesses like Dominion Energy.”  

“We’re proud and thankful to have been awarded a grant from Dominion Energy,” said Kristin Ward, Development Director, Judeo-Christian Outreach Center. “This funding will be used for Emergency Shelter and daily feeding programs which equip our clients’ with the resources needed for their homelessness to be rare, brief and nonrecurring.

"Thanks to Dominion Energy’s support, we can continue to provide stabilization services to more than 1,200 families in Northern Virginia,” said Shelley Murphy, President and CEO of Wesley Housing. “These hard-working individuals and families are still struggling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Dominion's contribution helps us provide relief to those who need it most."

For more on charitable giving programs and a full list of recipients, visit Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation.

About the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation
More than 7 million customers in 16 states energize their homes and businesses with electricity or natural gas from Dominion Energy (NYSE: D). Through its Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation, as well as EnergyShare and other programs, Dominion Energy contributed more than $58 million in 2020 to community causes. The Foundation supports nonprofit causes that meet basic human needs, protect the environment, promote education, and encourage community vitality. Please visit www.DominionEnergy.com to learn more.