SAN FRANCISCO, June 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- When employees of Pacific Gas and Electric Company heard of the tragic news of a massive earthquake in China's southeastern Sichuan Province May 12, they responded with sympathy and relief efforts. PG&E's Asian Employees Association (AEA) raised more than $8,500 to send overseas for the thousands injured, homeless and searching for loved ones. To bolster their effort, AEA has promised to match up to $5,000 of contributions to World Vision China Disaster Relief Fund. "The heart-rending stories from Sichuan, along with the stories of bravery and courage, have reached into PG&E and evoked a hugely sympathetic response in our community," said Fong Wan, AEA's sponsoring officer and vice president of energy procurement for PG&E. "This fund will help the purchase and distribution of basic survival goods such as food, tents and medicines to the victims and their families." Yonnie Leung, President of AEA, and supply chain manager for PG&E added, "PG&E employees throughout the Bay Area, Sacramento and the Central Coast have risen to the occasion by pooling their efforts and resources in a demonstration of united support to the people of the disaster-stricken area." The devastating tremor that hit China has caused a death toll reaching nearly 70,000 with over 374,000 people who have been injured by the earthquake and over 17,000 people still considered missing. As houses in the worst-hit areas have been reduced to rubble, over 45 million victims were left homeless and without food, water and medicine. The Asian Employees Association (AEA) of PG&E was founded by a group of employees in 1984. Its goals are to promote diversity and goodwill by organizing Asian cultural programs for all employees and community members; to support career and employee development through panel discussions and leadership workshops; to encourage members to give back to the community through volunteer service and to inspire and reward outstanding academic achievement among college-bound students in the PG&E service territory, through the AEA Scholarship Program. Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation, is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation's cleanest energy to 15 million people in northern and central California. For more information, visit http://www.pge.com/about/. DATASOURCE: Pacific Gas and Electric Company CONTACT: News Department of Pacific Gas and Electric Company, +1-415-973-5930 Web site: http://www.pge.com/

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