For Immediate Release: June 22, 2017

Tucson, Ariz. – Tucson Electric Power (TEP) awarded $10,000 in grants today to help four nonprofit groups in the White Mountains area to develop educational opportunities for kids, expand food bank operations and provide assistance to youth and families in need.

“Our Community Impact Grants provide financial support to the nonprofit groups that strengthen communities throughout the White Mountains,” said David G. Hutchens, TEP’s President and CEO.

The 2017 TEP Community Impact Grants in Apache County include:

Community Assistance

• $2,500 to the New Covenant Church Community Food Bank for its “Meet the Need” program, which provides food to limited-income families and individuals in the St. Johns community.
• $2,500 to Round Valley Cares for installation of new refrigerator equipment that will allow the organization to distribute fresh food along with food boxes to limited-income families in Apache County.

Education

• $4,000 to the Apache County Youth Council, which provides crisis prevention services to youth and families. Funding will help pay for training to recognize and report child abuse and neglect.
• $1,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of Round Valley to help purchase computers and other equipment for a new computer lab and entrepreneurial center for teens.

TEP employee volunteers and other stakeholders selected this year’s Community Impact Grant recipients through a competitive process. Winners were chosen based on program effectiveness and sustainability, applicants’ organizational capabilities and other criteria.

TEP Community Impact Grants are available to organizations in TEP’s service territory and in eastern Arizona communities near TEP’s Springerville Generating Station. The company recently awarded $125,000 in grants to help eight local nonprofit groups in and around Tucson. TEP Community Impact Grants, like other community investments, are funded from corporate resources, not customers’ rates.

TEP provides safe, reliable electric service to nearly 420,000 customers in Southern Arizona. The company, founded in 1892, is commemorating its 125th anniversary this year through various community service initiatives. For more information, visit tep.com. TEP and its parent company, UNS Energy, are subsidiaries of Fortis Inc., which owns utilities that serve more than 3 million customers across Canada and in the United States and the Caribbean. To learn more, visit fortisinc.com.

News Media Contact: Joseph Barrios, (520) 884-3725, jbarrios@tep.com