In preparation for the upcoming hurricane season, CITGO Petroleum has awarded several grants to help communities in its operating areas that may be affected by storms.
In Lake Charles, La., CITGO is donating $25,000 to the United Way to help create a pre-screening system to facilitate assistance more quickly for those in need affected by storms. In Corpus Christi, Texas, CITGO is donating $25,000 to the United Way’s resilience quick release funds, which assist partner organizations prior to and immediately after storms.
“The communities we call home demonstrate tremendous resilience, especially during storm season — and they do so by coming together. We’re proud to regularly join in this effort, both through grants to our nonprofit partners and through TeamCITGO volunteer activities,” said Michael Rosen, CITGO general manager of government and public affairs. “Together, we’ve lent a helping hand both immediately following a natural disaster and in the long-term by helping communities rebuild and better prepare for future storms. These grants in particular support projects to help communities increase their resiliency and be better prepared.”
To further support resiliency in other regions of its operations, CITGO will donate $25,000 to Will County Habitat for Humanity in Joliet, Ill., to assist vulnerable families in Lockport, Ill., with housing needs.
In the Houston area, CITGO awarded $25,000 to Operation Impact. Funds will support the distribution of a week’s worth of shelf-stable meals to seniors through Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston’s Meals on Wheels program in the greater Houston area.
CITGO will also donate $50,000 to the Gulf of Mexico Alliance to support its green design project. As a way to increase the environmental resilience of the Gulf Coast and reduce water pollution, these green design practices can reduce flooding, improve water quality and increase storm protection, while also providing increased wildlife habitat.
“In one way or another, all of our community programs at CITGO aim to create greater resiliency — whether through education, disaster relief, community assistance or environmental protection. They all go hand in hand,” said Rosen. “CITGO is part of these communities, and when they are healthy and thriving, we’re succeeding.”
Headquartered in Houston, CITGO Petroleum operates three refineries located in Lake Charles, Lemont, Ill., and Corpus Christi. CITGO wholly and/or jointly owns 38 active terminals, six pipelines and three lubricants blending and packaging plants. With approximately 3,300 employees and a combined crude capacity of approximately 769,000 barrels-per-day, CITGO is ranked as the fifth-largest, and one of the most complex independent refiners in the U.S.