CHARLESTON, W.Va., June 4, 2024 – The American Electric Power Foundation (AEP Foundation), at the recommendation of Appalachian Power, awarded a $25,000 grant to Comfort Cases, an international 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing hope and dignity to youth in foster care.
Comfort Cases™ are new backpacks or duffle bags filled with several essential items for children transitioning into foster care. The AEP Foundation grant will allow Comfort Cases to distribute several hundred Comfort Cases™ backpacks across Appalachian Power’s three-state service territory.
“Youth in foster care want to know that number one, they have a community that loves them,” said Rob Scheer, Comfort Cases founder. “That's why we give them brand new pajamas, all the toiletries they need, a book, a blanket, a stuffed animal. We want them to know we believe in them.”
Funding from the AEP Foundation is making nearly 500 Comfort Cases™ possible for organizations supporting youth in foster care across Appalachian Power’s service territory, including Western Regional CASA and West Virginia CASA for Children. Appalachian Power employees from Charleston and Huntington and volunteers from both organizations spent time filling nearly 200 Comfort Cases™ with items during a Packing Party.
“I volunteered myself because the children I adopted were previously in West Virginia’s foster system,” Misty Clark, Appalachian Power distribution work planning manager, said. “While it was unplanned for them to volunteer with me at the Packing Party, they were excited, telling me how happy they were knowing they were helping kids like them.”
“There are approximately 438,000 youth in foster care nationwide, with over 10,000 in our service area alone,” said Aaron Walker, Appalachian Power president and chief operating officer. “As a company committed to helping improve the lives of those in the communities we serve, we were proud to help further the mission of Comfort Cases by working together to fill backpacks with needed items.”
Additional Comfort Cases™ will be distributed to CASA4KIDS, Inc., in Kingsport, Tenn., Children’s Trust in Roanoke, Va., and The Bair Foundation in southwest Virginia.
About The AEP Foundation
The American Electric Power Foundation, a non-profit philanthropic organization, is funded through shareholder dollars by American Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP) and its operating subsidiaries, including Appalachian Power. The Foundation provides a permanent, ongoing resource for charitable initiatives in the communities served by AEP and initiatives outside of AEP’s 11-state service area. The AEP Foundation focuses on improving lives through education from early childhood through higher education in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math and by meeting basic needs for emergency shelter, affordable housing and the elimination of hunger. Other Foundation support may be offered to protect the environment, promote healthcare and safety, and enrich life through art, music and cultural heritage.
About Appalachian Power
Appalachian Power has 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is part of American Electric Power, which is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions. AEP’s approximately 17,000 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 225,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.6 million customers in 11 states. AEP is also one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with nearly 29,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including approximately 6,100 megawatts of renewable energy.
About Comfort Cases
Comfort Cases is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to inspire communities to bring dignity and hope to youth in foster care. Founded in 2013, Comfort Cases has distributed more than 250,000 Comfort Cases™ and Comfort XL™ duffel bags to children in the foster care system in all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom.
Comfort Cases has achieved Global Giving All-Star designation, meaning good reporting, phenomenal mission, and great response time. Comfort Cases is also a gold-level GuideStar participant, demonstrating commitment to transparency.
For more information about Comfort Cases, please visit: comfortcases.org.