GREENSBURG, Pa., Sept. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The FirstEnergy Foundation is making its largest investment in hunger relief to date, awarding $1.2 million to 37 Pennsylvania food banks and pantries during Hunger Action Month.

The funding is expected to provide more than 3.6 million meals for families in communities served by FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company (FE PA) – a FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) company known locally as Penn Power, Penelec, Met-Ed or West Penn Power.

John Hawkins, President, FirstEnergy Pennsylvania: "Food insecurity remains a significant challenge in many of the communities we serve. Too many individuals and families across FirstEnergy Pennsylvania's service territory continue to face challenges putting food on the table. Through the FirstEnergy Foundation, we are proud to support 37 community partners working every day to help our neighbors. Their dedication and support reminds us of the good we can accomplish when communities come together to help those in need and care for one another."

To kick off Hunger Action Month, FE PA employees volunteered at the Westmoreland Food Bank, helping prepare and distribute food for local families facing food insecurity. This volunteer event is one of six events FE PA employees will participate in during the month of September.

During the volunteer event, FE PA leadership presented a $250,000 donation from the FirstEnergy Foundation to Feeding Pennsylvania and a $50,000 grant to the Westmoreland Food Bank, a member of the Feeding Pennsylvania network. The donations reflect the Foundation's ongoing commitment to hunger relief, one of its key giving priorities, and support organizations working on the front lines of addressing food insecurity across the Commonwealth.

Lauren Duff, Chief Public Affairs Officer, Feeding Pennsylvania: "The FirstEnergy Foundation's generous investment comes at a critical time for food banks across Pennsylvania, as more families are turning to our network for help putting food on the table. This support will help provide neighbors facing hunger with the fresh produce, protein and dairy they need to live healthy, full lives, while bolstering the ability of our food banks to meet growing need. We are thankful for FirstEnergy's partnership and their commitment to strengthening the communities we collectively serve."

Despite ongoing efforts by food banks and nonprofit organizations, food insecurity remains a significant challenge across the country and in Pennsylvania. Feeding America estimates that more than 1.8 million people (13.5%) in Pennsylvania, experienced food insecurity in 2024, including approximately 508,000 children.

Jennifer Miller, Chief Executive Officer, Westmoreland Food Bank: "FirstEnergy continues to support the Westmoreland Food Bank's day-to-day mission and long-term goals. Employee volunteerism assists our community food pantries and monetary support keeps food on our shelves, ultimately putting meals on the plates of our neighbors facing hunger. We are truly partners in this work—we are so grateful."

Supporting Hunger-Relief Organizations Across Pennsylvania
This year, the Foundation is supporting six first-time grant recipients while increasing investments in several of Pennsylvania's largest food banks, pantries and hunger-relief partners.

Foodbanks receiving grants include:

• Altoona/Blair County Food Bank (Altoona, Blair County)
• Armstrong County Community Action Agency (Kittanning, Armstrong County)
• Boyertown Area Multi-Service (Boyertown, Berks County)
• Brookville Area Food Pantry (Brookville, Jefferson County)
• Bushkill Outreach Program (Bushkill, Pike County; first-time recipient)
• Center for Community Action (Everett, Bedford County)
• Central Pennsylvania Food Bank (Harrisburg, Dauphin County)
• Commission on Economic Opportunity, Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank (Tunkhannock, Wyoming County)
• Child Hunger Outreach Partners (Towanda, Bradford County)
• Community Food Warehouse of Mercer County (Sharon, Mercer County; first-time recipient)
• Community Foundation of Greene County (Waynesburg, Greene County)
• Corner Cupboard Food Bank (Waynesboro, Greene County)
• Ecumenical Food Pantry of Pike County (Milford, Pike County; first-time recipient)
• Fayette County Community Action Agency Food Bank (Uniontown, Fayette County)
• Feeding Pennsylvania (Lemoyne, Cumberland County)
• Feeding the Flock Ministries (Cheswick, Allegheny County)
• Fulton County Medical Center Food Bank (McConnellsburg, Fulton County)
• Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank (Duquesne, Allegheny County)
• Helping Harvest (Reading, Berks County)
• Hispanic Coalition Lehigh Valley (Bethlehem, Lehigh County; first-time recipient)
• Knoxville Food Pantry (Knoxville, Tioga County)
• Lebanon County Christian Ministries (Lebanon, Lebanon County)
• New Hope Ministries (Dillsburg, York County)
• New Journey Community Outreach (Reading, Berks County)
• Project Share of Carlisle (Carlisle, Cumberland County)
• Salvation Army East Stroudsburg (East Stroudsburg, Monroe County; first-time recipient)
• Salvation Army Jeannette (Jeannette, Westmoreland County)
• Salvation Army of Huntingdon (Huntingdon, Huntington County)
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest PA (Erie, Erie County)
• Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and Northeast PA (Nazareth, Northampton County)
• Shippensburg Produce and Outreach (Shippensburg, Cumberland County)
• Somerset County Mobile Food Bank (Somerset, Somerset County)
• State College Food Bank (State College, Centre County)
• State College Meals on Wheels (State College, Centre County; first-time recipient)
• Waynesboro Community and Human Services (Waynesboro, Franklin County)
• Westmoreland Food Bank (Delmont, Westmoreland County)
• York County Food Bank (York, York County)

The Pennsylvania grants are part of a $5 million initiative supporting 140 hunger-relief organizations across FirstEnergy's six-state service territory and the District of Columbia, helping stock local shelves and keep meals on tables in households facing food insecurity.

Employee Volunteers Help Food Banks Stretch Resources
In addition to financial support, FirstEnergy employees regularly volunteer with food banks, pantries and other nonprofit organizations across Pennsylvania. Through the company's Volunteer Time Off (VTO) program, employees provide hands-on support that help organizations serve more families while reducing operating costs.

In 2025, employees contributed approximately 28,500 volunteer hours across FirstEnergy's service territory, including thousands of hours supporting hunger-relief organizations. Based on the 2025 national value of a volunteer hour of $36.14, those efforts represent more than $1 million in additional community support.

Media Resources
Photos and videos from Hunger Action Month grant presentations, volunteer events and community partnerships will be added throughout September and made available on Flickr.

About FirstEnergy Foundation
The FirstEnergy Foundation supports 501(c)(3) organizations across FirstEnergy's operational area, helping them build capacity, strengthen outcomes and deliver lasting impact. Giving priorities include housing stability, hunger relief, workforce development and STEM initiatives that reflect community needs and the company's strategic focus. Combined with the Hunger Action Month grants, the Foundation has distributed nearly $6.5 million in community support across FirstEnergy's operational area to date in 2026.

About FirstEnergy
FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE) is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving more than 6 million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy on X @FirstEnergyCorp or online at firstenergycorp.com.

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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.