Xcel Energy announced today a $5,000 grant to The Community Table, an Eau Claire-based nonprofit, as part of the Xcel Energy Foundation’s 2023 Employee Choice Grant awards.
This year, the Employee Choice Grants program expanded its footprint to include six states Xcel Energy serves and awarded a combined $45,000 to five nonprofits. The program has now awarded nearly $350,000 since launching in 2015. Funds from the program come from shareholder dollars.
The Community Table serves balanced, nutritious meals in a safe, welcoming environment and connects those in need with existing resources to increase self-reliance in the Eau Claire area.
“The grant will be used to support our meal service program,” said TJ Atkins, executive director. “With our (still fairly new) process of offering carryout meals, the funds will be used to help support those supplies such as carryout containers and silverware. With the rise in our numbers of serving 85 to 95 guests a day, seven days a week, those items start to add up quickly. In providing these items, we can continue our mission to serve a balanced, nutritious meals, in a safe welcoming environment and to connect those in need with existing resources.”
The Xcel Energy Foundation, the company’s charitable arm, invests in organizations within three focus areas: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Career Pathways, Environmental Sustainability and Community Vitality. In addition to the Employee Choice Grants, the Foundation’s Focus Area Grants awarded a total of $338,000 to 63 organizations in Wisconsin and Michigan.
