During these trying times, the needs of our communities are tremendous. At Itron, we recognize the power of community to come together and take action when our people and communities need it most. As we all do our part to help minimize the spread of COVID-19, social distancing does not mean social disengagement. We are working closely with our community partners to respond to immediate needs and create a positive impact in the many regions we serve.

In the Spokane, Washington area, where Itron is headquartered, we are supporting the Innovia Foundation’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund for Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Grants from the fund will be given to community-based organizations in the region that are working on the frontlines to serve the most vulnerable populations during this outbreak.

Through our Itron Gives employee giving program, we empower our employees to support causes they care about by offering corporate matching to employee donations and paid volunteer time in honor of their service to their communities. In March and April alone, our employees donated more than $50,000 to charitable causes, which Itron generously matched.

And if living through a global pandemic isn’t challenging enough, one of our Itron communities was hit by severe storms that impacted the southeastern portion of the United States, moving near our operations in Oconee County, South Carolina. While we are grateful that our more than 1,000 employees at that site are safe and our facility was not impacted, some of our neighbors in South Carolina were less fortunate. Itron and employees rallied together to help the community, pledging $20,000 to the American Red Cross in support of post-storm relief efforts. Additionally, the local team volunteered more than 370 hours, serving meals and cleaning up storm debris, and recently launched a “Virtual Food Drive” for the Golden Corner Food Pantry to raise funds throughout the month of May.

At Itron, we strive to create an engaging culture for our employees, where we are healthy, happy and connected. While we may be feeling a bit disconnected today, we are grateful to our employees, our customers and our community partners who are working together for a better tomorrow.

To learn more about other ways Itron is supporting our communities during this time, including educational resources for students and educators, see our blog on Addressing COVID-19