<h2>Year-end contributions from Appalachian Power have pumped $50,000 into food banks across West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee just at the time of year when they need it most.</h2> The donations are going to 16 food banks and feeding centers, helping them get fully stocked for the high-use winter season. $1,500 was donated to the Beckley Dream Center, Inc., which serves the southern West Virginia region. “Food pantries provide essential access to nutritious food for families in need,” said Appalachian Power President and COO Chris Beam. “At Appalachian Power, we’re grateful to these organizations for the work they do in our communities, and honored to be able to support them in fighting hunger.” In addition to Appalachian Power’s year-end contributions, two gifts from the AEP Foundation earlier this year also supported food donations. The AEP Foundation gave Mountaineer Food Bank a $25,000 grant for its program providing fresh fruits and vegetables throughout southern West Virginia. Plus, it awarded $15,000 to Kanawha Valley Senior Services in West Virginia for its meal delivery program. Appalachian Power has 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is part of American Electric Power, which is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions. AEP’s more than 17,000 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 219,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.4 million customers in 11 states. AEP is also one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 32,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including 4,300 megawatts of renewable energy.
