We Keep Life Moving for our communities

For more than 170 years, we’ve worked hard to safely and reliably deliver natural gas to your home so you can do the things you love — from taking warm showers to cooking your favorite meal. We also work equally hard to make our community a better place for all of us. From supporting our veterans, energizing the potential of students across Chicago, upgrading our infrastructure and supporting diverse businesses, we are proud to work for you. Here are some examples of how we’re investing in our communities:

community partner spotlight

Community partner spotlight

La Casa Norte

La Casa Norte

La Casa Norte (LCN) serves youth and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness in disinvested West and South Side Chicago communities by providing access to stable housing and delivering comprehensive services. We are longtime supporters of the organization and its vision of a world where all people have dignity, communities thrive and everyone belongs.

Since 2002, LCN has transformed the lives of tens of thousands of Latiné and Black Chicagoans, growing into one of the largest youth social service agencies in Chicago. From a newly built five-story community center — opened in 2019 — it runs a youth drop-in medical clinic, food pantry and case management offices. Each year, over 20,000 clients access LCN’s programs.

LCN also offers three emergency youth shelters, a second drop-in space, transitional and permanent housing for unaccompanied youth and youth-led families, and dozens of scattered-site apartments for youths and adults.

Go to La Casa Norte for more information or to support the organization.

La Casa Norte >
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Veterans Training Program

Supporting our veterans

Veterans training program

We partnered with our union, Gas Workers Local 18007, the Utility Workers Union of America’s Power for America Training Trust Fund, and City Colleges of Chicago to create the Utility Workers Military Assistance Program (UMAP) to train veterans to prepare for careers in the natural gas industry. The seven-month program includes classroom instruction and in-field training. Graduates receive 52 college credits for an associate degree, as well as a Gas Utility Worker Advanced Certification at Dawson Technical Institute, a satellite site of Kennedy-King College. We’ve trained more than 700 veterans through the program. For information on how to participate in this program, visit https://power4america.org/discover/military-programs/.


Peoples Energy Training Center

Career development

Peoples Energy Training Center

The state-of-the-art facility provides annual training to more than 1,600 utility workers and fire officials across the region, while also supporting much-needed vocational programming to prepare Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students for future jobs in the natural gas and energy field.

The 100,000-square-foot training center, located at 4228 W. 35th Place, features indoor and outdoor training areas, including a fully functioning natural gas delivery system with 20 structures for training in system maintenance, natural gas leak investigation, excavation and directional drilling. The campus also includes an area for fire prevention training with the Chicago Fire Department and an area for commercial driver’s license training.


Peoples Gas Utility Training Program

Educating Chicago’s youth

Peoples Gas Utility Training Program

In partnership with CPS, Peoples Gas created a vocational training program to prepare high school students for jobs in the natural gas and energy field. Students from four area high schools participate in the program, which includes a summer internship, field trips to the Peoples Energy Training Center and after-school courses for seniors to prepare for jobs in the natural gas industry.

Energizing Student Potential (ESP) program

A partnership between area utilities and the National Energy Education Development (NEED) project, the Energizing Student Potential (ESP) program works to develop the future scientists and engineers of Illinois. ESP brings together standards-based classes for use in the classroom or afterschool programs for students in grades five through eight. The program provides tools for students and teachers to learn about and teach their communities about energy.

Super savers graphic

Support for Chicago Public Schools’ students

Peoples Gas supports the students, parents and teachers of the Chicago Public Schools through a variety of activities. Our engineers lead science clubs at 16 middle schools and are judges — along with other company employees — at the annual CPS Student Science Fair. Our Super Savers energy-efficiency education program teaches students how to save energy. We offer opportunities for our employees to volunteer at work as tutors for CPS students. And we support many area nonprofits providing services in the schools, from counseling to environmental education.

Cubs Charities

Peoples Gas supports Cubs Charities’ RBI Scholars Program for student athletes. Approximately 140 students across several Chicago high schools and the Cubs RBI league participate in RBI Scholars every year. The program helps student athletes develop the skills needed to succeed in school, maintain game eligibility and maximize potential for earning college scholarships.
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The Night Ministry

Serving those in need

The Night Ministry

The Night Ministry provides resources and support to people struggling with poverty or homelessness. In addition to financial support from the company, Peoples Gas employee volunteers normally assemble 200 sack suppers each month for The Night Ministry to distribute to clients. Due to COVID-19, we had to pivot, and are now partnering with local businesses to provide packaged meals on our behalf. Volunteers also put together hygiene kits distributed to clients each winter.
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Commitment to Community Day

Every April, in partnership with Rebuilding Together, Peoples Gas employees volunteer to spend a day making much-needed repairs to a neighborhood-based service organization. The company’s Commitment to Community Day is its most popular volunteer event, drawing more than 200 employees, family members and friends annually. Organizations benefiting from Commitment to Community Day include homeless shelters, counseling centers, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and other nonprofit groups.

Special Olympics Polar Plunge

Special Olympics Chicago

A team of Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas employees, family and friends raised more than $130,000 for Special Olympics Chicago at the 2022 Chicago Polar Plunge. Peoples Gas sponsors the annual fundraiser which supports year-round programs for more than 7,500 athletes involved in Special Olympics programs in the area. Peoples Gas also provides direct funding to Special Olympics Chicago.
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Angel Tree Program outside casa central

Angel Tree Program

Every holiday season, Peoples Gas employees purchase and wrap nearly 600 gifts for children and adults in need. Community partners for 2021 include:


White Sox Charities

Chicago White Sox Charities contributes to nonprofit organizations across the Chicago metropolitan area committed to causes such as fighting cancer, improving the lives of youth through education, assisting at-risk children and families, and supporting health and wellness programs. Peoples Gas supports White Sox Charities through its Ks for a Cause initiative.
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Seven Generations Ahead

Sustaining the environment

Seven Generations Ahead

Since 2008, Seven Generations Ahead has educated Chicago students about waste reduction and helped schools increase recycling, eliminate waste sources and compost food scraps through its Zero Waste Schools program. Peoples Gas has provided funding for curriculum development and a commercial composting initiative in 14 participating schools. Through recycling, composting and food recovery, the schools divert roughly 85% of their waste from landfills.
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Friends of the Chicago River

Founded by concerned citizens of Chicago, Friends of the Chicago River helps to initiate policies toward improving the water quality of the river so that it can support native plants, fish and other wildlife, as well as a variety of recreational uses and education and outreach programs.
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Safety Modernization Program

Economic development and programs

Safety Modernization Program

Dedicated professionals have provided safe, reliable natural gas service to residents and businesses in Chicago for more than 170 years. This commitment to safety and reliability is ongoing, and the Safety Modernization Program is bringing necessary improvements to your natural gas service. The program sustains 2,000 highly skilled, well-paying Illinois jobs. Our ongoing work in Chicago neighborhoods created jobs and training for more than 450 military veterans through the Utility Workers Military Assistance Program.
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Peoples Gas Energy Efficiency Program

Peoples Gas Energy Efficiency Program

The program offers incentives to encourage business customers to make energy-efficient improvements, and helps businesses reduce their energy use and shrink their carbon footprint with assistance from our energy efficiency experts. Chicago Public Schools, the Art Institute of Chicago and Presence Health are just a few of our business customers that have benefited from the program. Rebates, programs and incentives are also available through the program, for residential customers.
View Peoples Gas Energy Efficiency Program >

Supplier diversity

Our Supplier Diversity Initiative is designed to increase access, procurement opportunities, and use of minority-, women-, service disabled- and veteran-owned businesses through the purchase of products and services. Many of these businesses have greatly benefited from working with us on our Safety Modernization Program. By continuing these partnerships, we are sustaining our commitment to the economic growth and revitalization of the city of Chicago.
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New businesses

Peoples Gas is committed to supporting new businesses in Chicago. We offer a variety of services to help you complete your construction plans. With more than 170 years of experience, we work to provide excellent customer service in promptly connecting new service facilities.
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