Putting Purpose into Action
At Gas South, our purpose is to “Be A Fuel For Good.”
2020 Annual Report
Put People First. Do What’s Right. Strive to Win.
The Gas South Way
At Gas South, our purpose is to “Be a Fuel for Good.” This has never been more important than in 2020. The difficulties presented by COVID-19 to our community and our nation are unprecedented, and Gas South has a responsibility to our customers, our employees, and our communities to do what we can, where we can. Our pledge to give 5% of profits to support children in need reflects this commitment. Through strong business and nonprofit partnerships, Gas South allocated over $1 million in 2020 to initiatives and programs that support families and children in our community most impacted by COVID-19. For us, supporting children in need also means standing for human rights, social justice, compassion and equal opportunity as we strive for a more equitable world. The purpose to “Be a Fuel for Good” is something that Gas South and its employees try to live out each day because putting people first and doing what’s right are not just words we say, but values that we believe.
Kevin Greiner President & CEO Gas South
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Over $1 Million donated for COVID-19 Relief In 2020, Gas South donated more than $1 million to support families impacted by COVID-19. Instead of deploying much-needed funds throughout the year, we made a critical decision to deploy most of our philanthropic budget at the beginning of April. Additionally, we increased annual funding to four primary non-profit partners with the broadest capacity to reach those in our community affected by COVID-19: United Way of Greater Atlanta and Florida, Atlanta Community Food Bank, Heating Energy Assistance Team (H.E.A.T) and YMCA of Metro Atlanta.
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Gas South’s support enables the YMCA to truly deliver on our promise of service to those who turn to us for community and to those who turn to us for survival. We are extremely grateful for their commitment and contribution to our collective efforts during this crisis. Lauren Koontz President & CEO, YMCA Metro Atlanta
We are so thankful for the support of our wonderful corporate partners. Their generosity comes at a critical time, as so many are out of school or work, and are missing out on meals and funds to provide those meals. This continued support means that the Food Bank can stay nimble and be there for the community in their moment of need— whether they are asking for help for the first time in their lives or struggling with perpetual food insecurity that made it difficult to fill their plates even before this crisis hit. Recovery will not be easy, but we find strength in our partners through these times of uncertainty. Thank you again. Kyle Waide President & CEO, Atlanta Community Food Bank
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A Look at the Numbers
Fueling good with our financial commitment
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Financial Contributions Total = $1,255,025 Conducted a virtual book club for 100 children with terminal illness and their families Assembled over 450 food kits for children and families facing food insecurity Connected authors with students in 30 schools through Virtual Literacy Week Purchased and distributed over 14,000 diapers for families impacted by COVID-19 Funded 8 weeks of virtual learning assistance for 20 students Packed 20 Thanksgiving meals for families experiencing homelessness Collected Christmas items and toys for over 40 youth in need Helped renovate a bedroom and bathroom for a teen to make it wheelchair accessible
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Financial Impact Gas South’s community assistance annual giving typically includes smaller donations to dozens of local causes throughout the year – and focuses almost exclusively on programs for children in need. Gas South committed more dollars to fewer organizations while expanding our focus to include programs providing utility payment assistance and support for unemployed restaurant and hotel workers in 2020. We made our largest contributions in 2020 to organizations that we deemed to have the capacity and expertise to quickly and effectively address the acute community challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic: United Way of Atlanta and Florida
$255,000
Atlanta Community Food Bank
$200,000
YMCA of Metro Atlanta
$225,000
Heating Energy Assistance Team (H.E.A.T)
$150,000
Ser Familia
$75,000
The Salvation Army of Metro Atlanta
$60,000
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
$45,000
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United Way of Atlanta and Florida = $255,000 United Way in Atlanta and Florida received $255,000, more than triple the funding provided by Gas South last year. This includes $155,000 to United Way of Greater Atlanta, $50,000 to United Way relief funds in Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville and Miami, and $50,000 for unemployed restaurant workers in partnership with the Georgia Restaurant Association (this provided 100 restaurant workers with $500 grants in the state of Georgia). Some of the funds distributed in Atlanta helped the United Way be better positioned to address the digital divide between students and teachers. United Way partnered with Power My Learning to provide families with in-home learning devices, mainly laptops, so students could work outside of the classroom.
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Atlanta Community Food Bank = $200,000 Atlanta Community Food Bank, which distributes more than 60 million meals across North Georgia, was the beneficiary of $200,000 – 20 times the previous year’s amount. Funding supported feeding children who were out of school and had no access to school pantries and free/reduced lunches. This donation also included $50,000 for the Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association to provide food specifically for hotel workers. Thanks in part to this funding, Atlanta Community Food Bank and the Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association began holding weekly pop-up food pantries every Tuesday to provide much-needed relief for these workers. The pop-up pantries took place through the end of May at various hotels across Metro Atlanta. Initially, each event provided around 250 furloughed or laid-off workers with 30-pound bags of groceries; beginning April 28, it doubled that capacity, serving up to 500 families at each event.
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YMCA of Metro Atlanta = $225,000 YMCA of Metro Atlanta, which provides programming for all ages and hunger relief for thousands of children and families, received $225,000 – more than four times the previous year’s funding. $150,000 provided essential childcare for first responders and healthcare staff at one location — serving up to 50 children — for eight weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic (500 hours of childcare), $35,000 supported the continuation of the Gas South STEAM Lab at the Carl E Sanders branch, and $40,000 went toward the Campus Connection program which supported 20 children for 8 weeks with virtual learning assistance while schools were shut down.
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Heating Energy Assistance Team (H.E.A.T) = $150,000 H.E.A.T, which helps low-income families and individuals across Georgia pay their heating bills, received $150,000 – five times the amount Gas South donated last year. These funds provided utility assistance for over 1,000 individuals who were unable to pay their bills due to these extenuating circumstances.
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Ser Familia = $75,000 Ser Familia, which helps Latino youth, couples, parents, and families through educational programs, received $75,000 – more than seven times the previous year’s donation. The funds addressed basic needs of families in the Hispanic community impacted by COVID-19. Throughout the state of quarantine, Ser Familia was able to continue counseling appointments, case management, conduct socially distant parenting classes, youth meetings, and domestic violence support groups. In addition to ongoing services, Ser Familia provided more than $240,000 in emergency assistance to families affected by COVID-19 to assist with rent payments and basic needs, delivered 57,493 pounds of food to families, and provided over 75,000 diapers.
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The Salvation Army of Metro Atlanta = $60,000 In 2020, Gas South provided $60,000 in funding to The Salvation Army through Project SHARE. These funds gave much-needed rental and utility assistance to families and individuals whose livelihoods had been impacted by COVID-19. They also helped to provide food for metro Atlanta-area families facing food insecurity. Since its official COVID-19 response began last March, The Salvation Army of Metro Atlanta has provided more than one million meals to hungry families. When schools throughout metro Atlanta were closed for most of 2020 due to the pandemic, funds provided by Gas South allowed The Salvation Army to make a pivotal shift at its three Boys & Girls Clubs throughout the city. Once known primarily for providing afterschool programming for youth, The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Atlanta became a haven for virtual learning — a safe and supportive environment where students could engage in online studies during the school day. One-hundred twenty students continue to rely on the technology and Wi-Fi provided at The Salvation Army Boys & Clubs of Greater Atlanta to complete virtual learning assignments each day.
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Society of St. Vincent de Paul = $45,000 Gas South was among the first companies to provide critical funds to support SVdP Georgia’s COVID-19 response efforts. In 2020, SVdP Georgia provided $13 million in direct aid to help nearly 70,000 individuals affected by COVID-19 and in need of assistance. This included emergency financial assistance for mortgage, rent and utilities, food, clothing, and more. Gas South is also a top supporter of SVdP Georgia’s Hope Transformed capital campaign, committing $100,000 to help build SVdP Georgia’s new community service center in Atlanta. The new center opened in late 2020 and features a new community pharmacy, client choice food pantry, teaching kitchen, jobs center, education center and more. Through the partnership of Gas South and involvement of the Gas South team, SVdP Georgia achieves its mission of providing help and hope to our neighbors in need.
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Social Justice Commitment Gas South is committed to stand against racism and stand for human rights, social justice, and compassion. In 2020, in response to the acts of social injustice we witnessed, we took several actions: • Stood Together: We communicated our solidarity with our Black employees via an email and a video from our CEO. • Spoke Out Against Racism: We made external statements on our social media platforms, as well as an email to business partners • Advocacy: We joined other businesses and chambers of commerce throughout Georgia to advocate for the passage of bipartisan legislation that increased penalties for those found guilty of committing hate crimes. • Employee Engagement: We conducted Community Conversations as safe spaces for employees to discuss and process their emotions following the senseless and tragic killings of Ahmaud Arbrey, Rayshard Brooks, Brionna Taylor, and George Floyd. We also facilitated dialogues on how we can make our company a more welcoming, diverse, and tolerant place where employees can be their authentic selves and respect and value each other fully.
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Our team at Gas South is working together, more diligently and intentionally than ever before, towards eliminating bias and ensuring inclusivity for everyone at Gas South. We will continue to strive to invest in our community in ways that support equity, justice, and opportunity for all people.
Our purpose to “Be A Fuel For Good” means standing up for social justice. As a community, we cannot and will not accept anything less than meaningful change.
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Corporate Volunteer Council Social Justice Impact Award The Corporate Volunteer Council of Atlanta recognized Gas South with its inaugural Social Justice IMPACT Award for our innovative and bold response to 2020’s events and challenges.
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2020 YMCA Corporate Partner of the Year Understanding that the Y cannot make transformational change on our own, they have long sought out community partners to help affect change. The Corporate Partner of the Year award is presented to the organization whose collaboration and partnership with the Y has created an indelible impact within the Atlanta community. The COVID-19 crisis has proven the value of the trusted relationships the YMCA of Metro Atlanta has fostered over the years, and one of the most significant partnerships has been with Gas South. The long-standing partnership with Gas South includes support that spans many levels—from funding to program development to volunteerism. Gas South continues to provide valuable guidance, leadership, and support to the Y, ensuring that communities’ essential needs are met even in difficult and challenging times. “Gas South is really the perfect corporate partner. They say they are going to support us both in terms of time of their employees, lending their expertise, and in terms of funding support, and they do it. They are amazing,” Lauren Koontz, president and chief executive officer of the Y, on the importance of our partnership with Gas South.
FPO
Need Image
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We’re making a difference. Follow along to see how we’re engaging with our community to “Be a Fuel for Good” #BeAFuelForGood