Michael Kulick

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

It's your turn to speak out on Pepco's recent rate hike request!

Are you over 50 and searching for a new job? Retool, recharge and reinvent your job search by attending the free 50+ Employment Expo on Friday, May 17, at the Marriott Bethesda North Hotel & Conference Center (5701 Marinelli Road, Bethesda, MD). Recruiters from dozens of employers, including non-profits, government, healthcare, retail, technology and more will be ready to speak to you!

In our final story to share from last week’s Harvest for the Hungry food drive, AARP Foundation's Vice President for Housing Vivian Visallo volunteered for the HfH food drive with help from her two parents (who are also AARP members!) at her local Safeway in Washington, DC. The experience was an incredibly positive one. Here is their family’s story:

AARP volunteers could be found in dozens of Safeway stores last week in the DC, Maryland and Virginia region—all in their signature red shirts. Read on for two more stories from volunteers who spent their time helping to raise more than 45,000 pounds of week in just one week:

Last week’s Harvest for the Hungry food drive saw volunteers helping to raise more than 45,000 pounds of donated, pre-filled bags of groceries in just one week. An astounding amount! Here is another story from an AARP Maryland volunteer who helped staffed her local Safeway during that time:

“It’s not a bag of food. It’s a bag of hope.”

One of Maryland’s hardest-working volunteers is the face of a new, national AARP print ad that will be seen in major newspapers around the country over the next several weeks.

Lawmakers in Annapolis will be deciding this week whether surcharges should be allowed on monthly residential utility bills. If the law passes, this could increase residential gas bills up to $2/month, and set a dangerous precedent for utility companies to begin asking for more and more surcharges without PSC oversight.

If you live in Maryland, have you heard of Senate Bill 8/House Bill 89? These two bills, being voted on in the Maryland General Assembly next week, will allow gas companies to collect up to a $2/month surcharge for "infrastructure improvements and enhancements" on top of rates already paid by consumers. The Bill requires the Public Service Commission (PSC) to authorize the surcharge requested by the utility if a plan is approved.