Donates 25,000 energy-efficient LED bulbs to River Valley Regional Food Bank

FT. SMITH, ARK. — Nov. 28, 2017 Oklahoma Gas & Electric (OG&E) recently donated 25,000 Energy Star-certified Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs to families in need of assistance as part of its energy efficiency programs. With the help of the River Valley Regional Food Bank, families and seniors struggling with hunger in OG&E's service area in western Arkansas will receive the energy-efficient bulbs throughout the year to help reduce energy use and costs.

"Something as simple as replacing one light bulb with an LED can help customers reduce their energy use," said OG&E Community Affairs Manager Rob Ratley. "Every little bit of savings counts, especially for families and seniors struggling to make ends meet. We encourage all OG&E customers to take advantage of our energy efficiency programs to help reduce their energy costs."

Volunteers from OG&E will package and prepare more than 6,250 cases of the bulbs for distribution by the River Valley Regional Food Bank's partner agencies, which includes 58 approved pantry agencies.

The River Valley Regional Food Bank serves eight counties in West Central Arkansas, where just over 305,000 people live. They source the most nutritious foods they can find and provide it to approximately 62,000 people in the area.

"As always, we say ‘Let there be food for those in need,'" said Mike Ichniowski, Director of the River Valley Regional Food Bank. "With this great gift of LED Bulbs, we can also say, ‘Let there be light.' This is a great gift our agencies can give to those in need this holiday season, and we thank our friends at OG&E for making this Christmas a lot brighter for those we serve." 

OG&E offers a variety of energy efficiency programs and discounts to help residential and business customers reduce their energy use and save on their monthly bill. In the last several years, OG&E and its customers have helped reduce energy usage by more than 200 MW with energy efficiency and peak demand reduction programs.

About RVFB
The River Valley Regional Food Bank serves those-in-need in Ft. Smith and eight surrounding Western Arkansas Counties. We serve the area through over 190 agencies: churches, pantries, and other great organizations feeding an average of 58,000 individuals per month, and working towards alleviating food insecurity in our area. We are on target to distribute a record-breaking 8.5 million pounds of food this year.

About OG&E
Oklahoma Gas & Electric is a subsidiary of OGE Energy Corp. (NYSE: OGE) and is the largest electric utility in Oklahoma. A regulated utility, OG&E serves approximately 840,000 customers across a 30,000-square mile service area in Oklahoma and western Arkansas. For more information, visit www.oge.com, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ogepower, and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ogande.