For its third annual Veterans Day grant, Sempra Energy is donating $20,000 to Operation Homefront, the San Antonio, Texas-based national nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families, including those in the communities where Sempra Energy operates.
Operation Homefront works to help military families by providing critical financial assistance, transitional and permanent housing, and recurring family support programs and services throughout the year to help these families overcome short-term bumps in the road, so they do not become long-term chronic problems.
"This year, military veterans and their families need our support more than ever due to impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic," said Lisa Alexander, senior vice president of corporate affairs for Sempra Energy. "We are proud to partner with Operation Homefront to further support military veterans who have impacted the lives of every American through their commitment to serve our country. I am proud that our company has programs in place to champion both our veteran employees and veterans in our communities."
Operation Homefront serves tens of thousands of military families each year and over 90% of their expenditures go toward delivering programs for families struggling to make ends meet. The grant from Sempra Energy will support the organization's "11 Days of Impact" campaign, an effort to raise $111,000 to support military families in honor of Veterans Day.
Specifically, Sempra Energy's funds will go toward the Critical Financial Assistance program to assist veterans in California and Texas with mortgage and rent payments, utilities, groceries, and more.
"We are deeply grateful to the entire Sempra Energy team for their enthusiastic support of our 11 Days of Impact campaign," said Brig. Gen. (ret.) John I. Pray, Jr., president and CEO of Operation Homefront. "Our nation is currently facing a number of unprecedented challenges and many military families are really struggling to make ends meet. With Sempra Energy's help, we will be able to continue to provide much-needed financial assistance to this very special and deserving group of our fellow citizens."
Sempra Energy launched its annual Veterans Day grant program in 2018 as part of the company's overall commitment to supporting its veteran employees, as well as veterans who live in the communities where the company operates. More than 1,000 employees across the Sempra Energy family of companies have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
In the past five years, the Sempra Energy family of companies has donated more than $1.4 million to causes supporting military veterans or active-duty service members. Sempra Energy and its operating companies regularly participate in job-recruitment events for veterans and have employee groups in Los Angeles and San Diego to support the recruitment, on-boarding and engagement of veteran employees.
Additionally, the company has supplier-diversity programs that advocate for procurement opportunities for businesses owned by service-disabled veterans, women, minorities and LGBTQ-owned business enterprises. This year, the company also received a bronze designation from the "Military Friendly" organization, honoring Sempra Energy for exceeding benchmark standards that measure businesses' commitment, effort, and success in creating sustainable and meaningful opportunity for the military community.
