Supporting COVID-challenged communities in turbulent times

Enbridge donates more than US$5.2 million in 2020 to enhance safety and security, including US$2.2 million+ in Safe Community grants

Whether it’s firefighting, emergency medical services, water rescue or incident management, MABAS is there when it matters.

MABAS stands for Mutual Aid Box Alarm System, supported by multiple first responder agencies throughout Illinois—and its very presence across the state prevents loss of life, human suffering and property damage.

In 2020, the MABAS initiative got a boost from Enbridge, which donated a former fleet vehicle—a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 truck—to the Boone County Sheriff’s Office in Belvidere, IL.

“One of the primary uses of this vehicle is pulling the MABAS rescue and recovery boats which are used throughout the region for emergency search and rescue purposes,” says the Boone County Sheriff’s Office.

The year 2020, of course, has been incredibly challenging for many due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Enbridge made a deliberate effort to advance our community investment dollars to respond and provide relief to the most vulnerable among us.

We worked closely with our nonprofit community partners, our closest Indigenous and Tribal neighbors, and local governments to identify where resources have been needed most—including food banks, social service agencies, mental health organizations, first responders and health-care providers.

Through 2020, we awarded grants to more than 950 organizations across North America for initiatives providing safety and security to communities—including humanitarian aid, food security, disaster relief and COVID-19 protocols. These donations totaled more than US$5.2 million (C$6.7 million) across the continent.

Of that total, Enbridge awarded 341 grants to first response organizations across North America from our Safe Community First Responder Grant Program for safety equipment, professional training or educational programming.

In all, from the Safe Community program, we gave more than US$2.2 million to North American fire departments, emergency medical and rescue services, emergency management organizations, 9-1-1 centers, ambulance services and law enforcement organizations.

“The safety of the communities that host our projects and operations, and the people who live and work along our system, remains our highest priority,” explains Pete Sheffield, Enbridge’s Chief Sustainability Officer and Vice President of U.S. External Affairs.