Calling Small Businesses & Local Charities: Peoples ‘Eat, Drink, Help’ Program Accepting Applicants for 2026 Grants

Calling Small Businesses & Local Charities: Peoples ‘Eat, Drink, Help’ Program Accepting Applicants for 2026 Grants

Eat, Drink, Help entering 10th year of boosting local entrepreneurs with microgrants to local charities

The Peoples Natural Gas team is ready to start 2026 off strong by expanding its popular Eat, Drink, Help program as it enters its tenth year of elevating local small businesses and community charities. Western Pennsylvania’s leading energy provider is now accepting applications from across its 18-county service territory to participate in this year’s campaigns! 

Since 2016, Peoples’ Eat, Drink, Help program has provided more than $200,000 to local charities, bringing attention to small, locally owned businesses along the way. Each Eat, Drink, Help campaign spotlights a local business within Peoples’ service area, with the business selecting a charity close to their hearts to receive a $1,000 microgrant. Nearly 150 local charities and 135 businesses have benefitted from Eat, Drink, Help since it began in 2016. New for 2026, the standard grant amount will double to $2,000.

“Our purpose at Peoples is to make life better for our customers and the communities we serve,” said Community Relations Specialist Beverly Wogan, who manages Eat, Drink, Help. “We want to enrich life not only through providing the essential energy to heat homes and businesses, but also to elevate the small businesses who are vital to our region, and the charities doing important work all over Western Pennsylvania. We’re eager to get this Eat, Drink, Help anniversary year underway.”

Businesses and charities can apply online to participate in Eat, Drink, Help. To participate, businesses must be Peoples Natural Gas customers, and charities are required to be 501c3 nonprofits. Peoples expects to conduct 20 Eat, Drink, Help programs in 2026, with the first set to begin this month in Punxsutawney, with Laska’s Pizza, Punxsy Pizza and Steffey’s collaborating on a joint campaign to benefit the Punxsutawney Weather Museum. Applications are encouraged to be submitted by Friday, February 28 in order to be considered for this year.