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The United Way of Northern New Jersey invited Entergy's CEO Drew Marsh to be a keynote panelist at the National ALICE Summit that was held last month in New Orleans. The summit focused on supporting Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed individuals. ALICE represents the growing number of families who earn a little more than the federal poverty level but still struggle to afford basic needs like food, housing, childcare transportation, health care and technology.
During the panel, Marsh emphasized Entergy's commitment to assisting ALICE customers and communities across our service area of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Marsh shared the panel with Gianetta Jones, senior vice president and chief people officer for Coca-Cola Bottling Company. The panel discussion was moderated by LaMont Bryant, who heads Ethicon and Johnson & Johnson MedTech Research and Development.
Throughout the conversation, Marsh highlighted Entergy's programs that help ALICE households and communities, including customer bill payment assistance and free tax preparation services, as well as volunteer support from the company's 12,000 employees. Entergy uses data from ALICE reports in each state to partner with regulators and United Way affiliates in designing shareholder-funded bill assistance programs tailored for ALICE residents living in our service area. In total, these initiatives have provided $15 million in bill payment support to numerous ALICE households in the past two years.
Marsh also cited the Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC, as a crucial poverty reduction program, emphasizing that Entergy has made it a significant volunteer initiative since 2009.
"Each year, our employee volunteers collaborate with the IRS, United Way affiliates and nonprofits to provide free tax preparation services for our low-income customers living in our service area,” said Marsh. “Since this service began, we have helped 200,000 families access $300 million in EITC refunds. This impactful initiative highlights the importance of supporting and uplifting ALICE households in our communities."
During the discussion, Marsh stressed the importance of advocating for the ALICE population, who are, at times, overlooked because they are living just above the federal poverty level but, when faced with a life-threatening accident or medical illness, they too must decide between paying for groceries, medicine or electricity.
Marsh emphasized the vital role businesses and corporations play in supporting ALICE households through education and advocacy on public policies at the local, state and federal levels. Supporting ALICE households aligns with our commitment to enhance the lives of our customers, employees and communities. By providing essential resources and assistance to ALICE families, Entergy aims to create a brighter future for everyone. Learn more about how we serve our communities.
