In an unprecedented coordinated effort, Ohio’s oil and gas industry recently announced a major campaign with Toys for Tots that will include six of the top producing Utica Shale counties this holiday season.  Toys will be collected and distributed in Harrison, Carroll, Jefferson, Guernsey, Monroe and Belmont counties, in an effort to support those in need.

Energy In Depth and the Ohio Oil and Gas Association have been working with Toys for Tots for the past several years and have grown the coordinated effort to include the largest outreach campaign to date.

Toys for Tots coordinator Deborah Oberlin told EID,

“The oil and gas industry has always been there for us. They have just been a huge help and their efforts have been so much more than just the monetary donations and thousands of new toys contributed by the companies. It’s also been their time, volunteering to make Christmas special for these families, giving back through helping hands and hearts. It has impacted children and families in such a way that I could have never imagined.”

Companies from the upstream, midstream and downstream segments of the industry are all joining forces to give back, and this is just the latest example of a growing trend of cooperation occurring in the state between each segment of the natural gas industry. The Toys for Tots 2017 campaign will include oil and gas exploration companies such as Ascent Resources, Edgemarc Energy, and Hess Corporation; Ohio’s largest full-service midstream system, MarkWest Energy Partners; and even the Carroll County Energy LLC gas-fired power plant that is currently under construction.

The oil and gas industry is encouraging folks in need to register to receive toys before Dec. 4.  Toys will be distributed throughout the month of December at various company locations in all six counties.  EID will be on hand to report the efforts of the campaign later this month and will be participating in these ongoing efforts to engage directly with the residents of eastern and southeastern Ohio.