LG&E and KU deploy more than 350 employees to volunteer with 26 nonprofits on annual Day of Caring
On September 18, 2026, more than 350 employees of Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company spread out across Kentucky and Indiana for the companies’ annual Day of Caring — volunteering alongside 26 local nonprofits that serve communities throughout the LG&E and KU service area.
More than 350 employees took part in 2026 Day of Caring
The scale was hard to miss. Volunteers showed up in Louisville, Lexington, Elizabethtown, Bedford, and Jeffersonville, Indiana — rolling up their sleeves at every stop.
The work itself varied considerably. Some employees sorted donations of non-perishable food and medical supplies, while others handled landscaping, prepped meals, or tackled facility improvement projects. That range makes sense, given the equally varied needs of 26 different nonprofits spread across multiple cities.
That figure reflects direct employee donations alongside support from the LG&E and KU Foundation — a consistent track record, not a single standout year.
Louisville sites alone covered a striking breadth of community services — Feed Louisville, Dress for Success Louisville, the Kentucky Humane Society, and Family Scholar House all received volunteer support. In Lexington, employees worked with God’s Pantry Food Bank and the Lexington Rescue Mission. Gilda’s Club in Jeffersonville, Indiana, rounded out the day’s geographic reach.
Day of Caring is part of the broader Power of One campaign
Day of Caring doesn’t operate in isolation. It’s one piece of Power of One, an enterprise-wide annual giving campaign run by PPL Corporation and its subsidiaries across all of PPL’s operating states: Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.
What distinguishes Power of One is how it combines two types of giving. Employees contribute both monetary donations and volunteer hours — and both count toward the campaign’s overall community impact. It’s not structured as either/or.
For LG&E and KU specifically, the local Power of One campaign has raised nearly $2 million annually over the past six years. That figure reflects direct employee donations alongside support from the LG&E and KU Foundation — a consistent track record, not a single standout year.
Employee volunteerism translates into measurable community impact
The numbers behind LG&E and KU’s volunteer culture are worth a closer look. Across all community service activities — not just Day of Caring — employees log more than 15,000 hours of volunteer service each year, a real commitment distributed across hundreds of people.
The longer view is even more telling. Since Power of One launched in 2005, employees and the Foundation have together helped raise more than $35 million. Two decades of sustained giving, blending volunteerism with financial contributions.
Mary Kate Gray, Manager of Corporate Responsibility and Community Affairs, put it plainly: “Day of Caring is a powerful reflection of our employees’ commitment to showing up, lending a hand and serving the communities we call home.” She added that employees “continue to make a meaningful difference by giving their time, talents and resources to support organizations that help our neighbors thrive.”
That phrase — time, talents, and resources — captures what employees actually bring. Not just a check, not just a few hours. Both, repeated year after year.
Background: LG&E, KU, and their role in the region
LG&E and KU are regulated utilities operating under PPL Corporation, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker PPL. Together, the two companies serve nearly 1.4 million customers across Kentucky and Virginia.
Their footprints differ in scope. LG&E serves approximately 336,000 natural gas customers and 443,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties. KU reaches about 581,000 customers across 77 Kentucky counties, plus another 28,000 in five Virginia counties. Combined, they cover a substantial stretch of the region.
Both utilities have consistently ranked among the top US utilities for customer service. Community giving has long been woven into their corporate culture — Day of Caring and Power of One are expressions of that, not departures from it.
Contributions exceeding $35 million
The 2026 Day of Caring brought together more than 350 LG&E and KU employees and 26 nonprofit organizations on September 18. Volunteer work spanned food and supply sorting, landscaping, meal prep, and facility improvements across Louisville, Lexington, Elizabethtown, Bedford, and Jeffersonville, Indiana.
The event is part of Power of One, PPL Corporation’s annual enterprise-wide giving campaign. LG&E and KU’s local campaign has raised nearly $2 million annually over the past six years through employee donations and Foundation support. Since the campaign launched in 2005, total contributions have exceeded $35 million.
Beyond a single day, employees log more than 15,000 volunteer hours in their communities each year — a figure that reflects ongoing engagement well past any one event.
LG&E and KU together serve nearly 1.4 million customers across Kentucky and Virginia as regulated utilities under PPL Corporation. Community engagement, including events like Day of Caring, has been a consistent part of how both companies operate in the regions they serve.
Kelly is an experienced writer with 15 years of experience exploring the big stories that shape our world, from tech breakthroughs and space exploration to climate, energy, and the fascinating quirks of science. She has a talent for turning complex ideas into sharp, memorable insights that stay with readers long after they’ve finished reading.
