Campaign for the Community Benefits Non-profits Throughout the United States SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Even with today's trying economic times and tightening budgets, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) employees and retirees opened their wallets to increase this year's annual giving by 8 percent to $4,168,988. In 2009, over 4,000 schools and non-profits will benefit from the dedication of the many employees who organized fundraisers and those who made one-time gifts or monthly pledges to their designated non-profits. "I am proud of our employees at Pacific Gas and Electric Company who have donated $24 million since 2000 alone," said Ophelia Basgal, vice president of civic partnership and community initiatives. "We were glad to match every dollar donated to educational and environmental causes with shareholder dollars." An ideal example of employee creativity on behalf of community causes was the production and sale of a cookbook titled The Power of Cooking. This cookbook is a compilation of recipes from more than 200 employees. One thousand three hundred copies were sold, raising $8,450 that will benefit Oakland Leaf, an East Bay non-profit that provides educational enrichment programs throughout the Oakland School District. Another example of thoughtful fundraising involved a used book sale and silent auction. This effort raised $5,700 this year. Over the past three years, this fundraiser has brought in $11,700 for various non-profits. In 2009, these efforts will benefit the Excelsior Family Connections in San Francisco, which provides a variety of services for working families living in the neighborhood. PG&E has a long history of making charitable grants tailored to the needs of the wide variety of communities it serves. The company's broader program of support to communities includes cash grants, in-kind contributions, and volunteers for community-based nonprofit organizations, and for schools and other governmental programs throughout northern and central California. All charitable contributions are entirely funded by the company's shareholders and the level of charitable giving does not affect gas and electric rates. During 2008, PG&E employees volunteered over 18,900 hours of their time at company-sponsored events. Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG), 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/. For more information about Pacific Gas and Electric Company, please visit our website at http://www.pge.com/. DATASOURCE: PG&E CONTACT: PG&E External Communications +1-415-973-5930 Web Site: http://www.pge.com/

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