Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston and Reliant Energy
Partner to Deliver Emergency Meals
Aug. 27, 2010 (Business Wire) -- With three months of an active hurricane season remaining, Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston’s (IMGH) Meals on Wheels for Greater Houston and Reliant Energy are helping thousands of home-bound seniors prepare for severe weather that could strike the Texas Gulf Coast.
“It is important that our seniors have what they need in an emergency situation like a hurricane,” said Perry McAfee, Director of Senior Services, IMGH. “Reliant has stepped in for the second consecutive year to help us provide a large number of home-bound seniors with a supply of non-perishable food to help them get through just such an emergency.”
“We’ve helped thousands of home-bound Houston seniors prepare for the remainder of hurricane season, which experts have said could continue to be an active one,” said Tom Gros, Senior Vice President, Reliant Energy. “So far we’ve been fortunate, but it only takes one hurricane to cause a disaster. Preparation is essential and we all must keep our guard up until the season ends.”
This is the second year that Reliant has donated $25,000 to help provide an emergency supply of non-perishable food items for more than 4,100 home-bound seniors. Staff and volunteers from Reliant and IMGH’s Meals on Wheels for Greater Houston are working together to deliver a box of food items to each senior’s home.
About 60 Reliant employees are trained as members of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) to help the greater Houston community in the event of a hurricane or other disaster. CERT is a program of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that trains and prepares volunteers in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations. Trained CERT volunteers step in to help when professional responders are not immediately available during an emergency.
Consumers needing tips and information about preparing for a hurricane can visit www.reliantstormcenter.com and www.imgh.org.
About Reliant Energy:
Reliant Energy provides electricity and energy services to approximately 1.6 million retail customers—including homes, small and large businesses, manufacturing facilities, government entities and institutions across Texas. As part of NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG), Reliant Energy is backed by one of the nation’s largest power producers. NRG owns and operates more than 24,000 megawatts of generation capacity, including more than 11,000 megawatts of capacity in Texas. For more information about Reliant Energy products and services, visit www.reliant.com.
About Interfaith Ministries:
A United Way agency, Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston (IM) brings people of diverse faith traditions together for dialogue, collaboration and service. IM provides four main services: Meals on Wheels for Greater Houston which delivers more than one million meals each year to seniors in Harris county; Refugee Services which, in conjunction with the U.S. State Department, resettles hundreds of refugees in Houston each year; Office of Disaster Preparedness and Response (ODPR) which facilitates communication on behalf of Houston’s faith communities during relief and recovery efforts and; Interfaith Relations which provides a safe harbor for greater Houston through its many interfaith programs and dialogue efforts. More information can be found at www.imgh.org.
Reliant Energy
Pat Hammond, 713-497-7723
or
Interfaith
Ministries for Greater Houston
Andrea Fineman, 713-533-4973
