RG&E Employees Donate and Distribute Hundreds of Books to Rochester-area Little Free Libraries

More than 500 books donated from employees across RG&E and AVANGRID 

ROCHESTER, NY — January 12, 2021 — Rochester Gas & Electric (RG&E) employees distributed more than 500 books today to Little Free Libraries throughout the Rochester region. The books were collected from a company-wide book drive that began in December and received donations from employees throughout RG&E and AVANGRID, RG&E’s parent company. In total, the company’s book drive helped fill the shelves of more than 20 local Little Free Libraries.

The book drive was put on by the company’s employee group, Pride@AVANGRID, and created by group members Ruth Thompson, RG&E Customer Service Representative, and Jordan Noll-Lamantia, AVANGRID Program Manager in HR Talent & Organization Performance. The goals of the drive are to care for the communities we serve, help provide access to diverse reading materials and promote RG&E as an LGBTQ+ ally in the Rochester community. As part of the initiative, the group distributed at least one book per Little Free Library that included an LGBTQ+ character or educates about the LGBTQ+ community. 

“At RG&E, we’re always looking for opportunities to support our community,” Thompson said. “We felt that this book drive was a great way to create access to reading materials for students in our community as well as showcase that RG&E is an ally of the LGBTQ+ community. Additionally, as we all continue to find ways to manage stress during the pandemic, there’s no better way to escape into another world than by picking up a book!”   

Little Free Library is a nonprofit that works to build community, inspire readers, and expand book access for all through a global network of volunteer-led little libraries. There are Little Free Libraries in more than 100 countries around the world that provide 24/7 access to books and help promote literacy. 
“We’re so excited that this book drive was such a huge success,” Noll-Lamantia said. “We have Pride@AVANGRID members throughout the country, so we hope that this drive will inspire more book collections across AVANGRID in all of the communities that we serve.”

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About RG&E: Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation (RG&E) is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. Established in 1848, RG&E operates approximately 8,800 miles of electric distribution lines and 1,100 miles of electric transmission lines. It also operates approximately 10,600 miles of natural gas distribution pipelines and 105 miles of gas transmission pipelines. It serves approximately 378,500 electricity customers and 313,000 natural gas customers in a nine-county region in New York surrounding the City of Rochester. For more information, visit rge.com . 

About AVANGRID: AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) is a leading, sustainable energy company with approximately $35 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states. With headquarters in Orange, Connecticut, AVANGRID has two primary lines of business: Avangrid Networks and Avangrid Renewables. Avangrid Networks owns eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Avangrid Renewables owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. AVANGRID employs approximately 6,600 people. AVANGRID supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2019 and 2020 by the Ethisphere Institute. For more information, visit avangrid.com. 

Learn about the Iberdrola Group’s global pandemic response at its COVID-19 Hub.

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