APS Employees Raise Extra $24,000 to Help Distressed Customers

August 13, 2009

Over the past several weeks, APS employees raised an additional $24,000 in annual funds for Project SHARE, a program that helps electric utility customers facing interruption in service due to a financial emergency. Overall, donations from both APS customers and employees now total more than $700,000 annually.

Project SHARE -- Service to Help Arizonans with Relief on Energy -- is funded by employees and customers of APS, Salt River Project and Southwest Gas as well as the shareholders of APS parent company Pinnacle West. The program, which began in 1982, is administered by The Salvation Army.

Project SHARE provides one emergency grant per year to qualifying families. These customers have experienced a financial crisis such as a loss of job or unexpected medical or car repair bills, which make it difficult for them to pay their utility bills. The goal of Project SHARE is to help these families pay and avoid a disruption of their service. To qualify, customers must have received a disconnect notice. The Salvation Army selects the recipients and disburses the funds. 

“Our employees are sensitive to customer needs and recognize emergencies can place an enormous burden on them, especially at this time of year,” said Chief Customer Officer Tammy McLeod. “In these circumstances, we want customers to communicate with us because programs like Project SHARE and others are available to them and can make a significant difference.”

The new donations from APS employees came from voluntary payroll deductions. All employee contributions are matched dollar-for-dollar by Pinnacle West. APS customers can also donate to Project SHARE on their billing statements. Since administrative fees are absorbed by the participating organizations, 100 percent of all contributions go towards assisting those in need

APS, Arizona's largest and longest-serving electric utility, serves 1.1 million customers in 11 of the state's 15 counties. With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp. (NYSE: PNW).

Dan Wool, APS Media
(602) 250-3127