Upstate Giving, Oct. 19

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Greenville Water and United Way collaborate to keep lights on

As some Greenville citizens struggle with utility bills due to economic shortfalls stemming from COVID-19 business closures, Greenville Water and United Way have joined forces to assist those in need with a “Keep the Lights On” initiative.

The program, launched this week, uses COVID-19 funding to cover utility costs for families who can’t. Utilities cannot access these funds alone, so after meetings with state and county lawmakers, officials and private sector partners, Greenville Water discovered that United Way could accept utility bill requests, according to a news release.

“Greenville Water’s primary responsibility is to ensure our community has access to this essential water service without interruption and is actively looking for avenues to assist United Way in their relief efforts,” David Bereskin, CEO of Greenville Water, said in the release. “We continue to support our customer's payment needs through payment arrangements and continue to search for funds to be made available to our 501(c)(3) partners.”