As part of its ongoing commitment to communities, Dominion Energy, the parent company of Dominion Energy Ohio, is jump-starting the new year, contributing $17,500 in Critical Community Needs Grants to three Mahoning Valley nonprofit organizations.

The local grants are part of $175,000 awarded statewide and an overall $1 million overall awarded to 116 nonprofit organizations in 11 states to help feed, shelter, and care for people in need across the company's footprint.

"While many of us look forward to the new year, we recognize that many people in our communities struggle to afford the basics needed for a secure, healthy and productive life," said Hunter A. Applewhite, president of the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation. "These grants will help fill critical needs for nutritious food, safe shelter and the medical care essential for a better future."

This is the third year that the company has given more than $1 million in Critical Community Needs through its charitable arm, the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation.

Local Ohio Critical Community Needs Grant recipients are:

  • Second Harvest Food Bank, Youngstown, $10,000 for its School pantry program, which provides take-home food assistance for local students.
  • YWCA of Warren, Warren, $5,000 for its WINGS program, which provides supportive housing for female-headed households, who are homeless or at risk of being homeless, such as youth aging out of foster care and domestic violence survivors.
  • Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership, Warren, $2,500 for its program that provides free transportation to and from its Warren Farmers Market.