NIPSCO’s month-long volunteerism effort resulted in over 1,200 volunteer hours.
Throughout September, over 300 NIPSCO and NiSource employees volunteered at 33 non-profit organizations across northern Indiana. The initiative was part of the company’s 14th annual Charity of Choice campaign.
“Charity of Choice is a way to demonstrate NIPSCO’s commitment to giving back, empowering employees to make a difference through volunteerism to organizations that strengthen the communities where our customers live and work,” said Vince Parisi, NIPSCO president and chief operating officer, in a press release.
“Local organizations are the foundation of a strong community,” Parisi said.
Volunteers supported organizations such as the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana, Little River Wetlands, White County United Way and Boys & Girls Clubs of La Porte County. Volunteers pitched in to help with a variety of tasks. They cleaned, organized and helped construct homes.
“We are committed to fighting food insecurity in the Region and we love having groups from NIPSCO come in to help us,” Charlie Cole, Food Bank of Northwest Indiana development manager, said. “It's great to bring new volunteers into the mix and this is especially true when speaking about our partnership with NIPSCO.”
Some of NIPSCO’s volunteer opportunities were environment and habitat- focused, like the Monarch Joint Venture. Robert Seilheimer, the organization’s development manager, hosted a group of NIPSCO volunteers. Together they tagged individual monarch butterflies to track their migration patterns and collect data. Seilheimer said monarch butterflies are a candidate for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s endangered species list.
“We are incredibly grateful for NIPSCO’s dedication to pollinator conservation and biodiversity,” Seilheimer said. “Their support and work are making a real difference for monarchs, other pollinators and the environment in Northern Indiana.”
The Merrillville-based Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) has served the Region for over 100 years. NIPSCO serves about 900,000 natural gas and 500,000 electric customers across 32 counties. NIPSCO is one of NiSource’s six utility companies.
