CLEVELAND, Jan. 8, 2009 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominion East Ohio today distributed more than $1.4 million to community action agencies across the company's service area, intended to help income-eligible customers with payment assistance and energy conservation. 

The Salvation Army received $500,000 for the EnergyShare program, a last-resort energy assistance program that helps customers maintain their natural gas service or avoid disconnection. EnergyShare is administered by The Salvation Army and supported by donations from Dominion, its customers, its employees and the general public. The program serves as a safety net for income-eligible customers after they have exhausted all other forms of assistance. EnergyShare dollars are now available throughout Dominion's service area.

In the Greater Cleveland area, the Empowerment Center of Greater Cleveland received $425,000 to assist low-income Dominion East Ohio families and their neighborhoods. Consumer Protection Association received $125,000 to help set up workable payment arrangements for troubled customers.

Additionally, Dominion will distribute another $417,000 to community action agencies throughout the company's service area to provide payment assistance to needy customers. These funds will be released within 30 days through the Ohio Department of Development. Customers can call 1-800-282-0880 for more information on these funds.

'With the current economic downturn, we expect our customers will seek more energy assistance this winter than previous ones, and we want our customers to know they can count on us for help,' said Bruce C. Klink, Dominion East Ohio president. 'In addition to using the funds to provide bill payment assistance for low-income customers, the agencies will also target customers who are not income-eligible for other types of assistance, such as the federally funded Home Energy Assistance Program, but may still experience financial hardship.'

The announcement and check presentation took place today at The Salvation Army's downtown Cleveland headquarters with representatives from Dominion, The Salvation Army and various community action agencies.

The funds are part of Dominion's recent rate case settlement, approved by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, in which the company agreed to provide funding to organizations that help Dominion East Ohio customers in the areas of payment assistance and education regarding the efficient use of natural gas.

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 27,000 megawatts of generation. Dominion serves retail energy customers in 12 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at http://www.dom.com .