For more than 120 years, we’ve worked hard to safely and reliably deliver natural gas to your home,
so you can do the things you love — from taking warm showers to cooking your favorite meal. We also
work equally hard to make our community a better place for all of us. From supporting our veterans,
energizing the potential of students across Chicago’s northern suburbs, upgrading our infrastructure
and supporting diverse businesses, we are proud to work for you. Here are some examples of how we’re
investing in our communities:
Community partner spotlight
Plant Giveaway at Chicago Botanic Garden
North Shore Gas is a proud partner of the Chicago Botanic Garden and its mission to cultivate the power of
plants to sustain and enrich life. This year, we will be once again sponsoring the Garden’s Plant Giveaway program located in the
Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden. Staff and volunteers share information about a featured plant and encourage visitors to take
seeds or a seedling home to plant.
Chicago Botanic Garden >
Previous community partner spotlights >
Supporting our veterans
Home and Honor Day
For the past four years, our volunteers have come together for a day each fall to help refurbish
housing for military veterans in North Chicago. It’s the focus of our company’s Home and Honor Day,
which supports an affordable housing program run by the Community Action Project of Lake County.
Volunteers dedicate time on the weekend to making homes energy efficient, painting, cleaning,
landscaping and making general repairs to townhomes occupied by vets and their families.
Career development
YWCA of Lake County
Our support for the Economic Empowerment Program provides job readiness,
financial literacy and entrepreneurship education to individuals to help
them become self-sufficient.
View YMCA of Lake County >
Educating students
Bess Bower Dunn Museum
The Lake County Forest Preserve District’s museum showcases the history of Lake County and features a 20-foot
model of a Dryptosaurus, a dinosaur that roamed the area 67 million years ago. It also includes Native American
artifacts, Civil War-era items and a reproduction of a one-room schoolhouse. Our funding goes towards the museum’s
education classroom used for school field trips, community meetings, public lectures and other educational programs.
View Bess Bower Dunn Museum >
Energizing Student Potential (ESP) program
We have partnered with other area utilities and the National Energy Education Development (NEED) project to
develop the future scientists and engineers of Illinois. ESP brings together standards-based classes for
classroom or after-school programs for students in grades five through eight. The program provides tools
for students and teachers to learn about and teach their communities about energy.
Waukegan Public Library Early Learning Center
The library’s Early Learning Center helps younger children develop fundamental learning skills needed to
succeed in school. Students through second grade learn numbers, letters, colors and sight words in a
themed exhibit that encourages play and imagination. In addition to ongoing support for the Early
Learning Center, we provide funding for the library’s Adult Literacy Center.
View Waukegan Public Library Early Learning Center >
Super Savers
Through a partnership with other local utilities, we provide an energy-efficiency curriculum and student
materials for fifth graders at schools throughout the area. The Super Savers program teaches children
how to save energy and includes a kit of energy-saving items to take home and work with their parents to install.
View Super Savers >
Waukegan Park District
Being our home town, we support a couple park district initiatives, including
SwimSmart swim lessons. These lessons are offered to Waukegan residents
of all ages to increase their safety and comfort in the water while teaching swimming strokes and techniques. The other
initiative is the creation of Corrine J. Rose Park, which is a
transformation of an existing park into one with a number of new features. We are supporting the addition of seven large outdoor
musical instruments, which are designed to attract every age and all will be accessible for kids. These instruments are meant to
generate interest in music and support the district and community’s robust cultural arts program.
View Waukegan Park District >
Serving Those in Need
Mothers Trust Foundation
Mothers Trust provides immediate assistance to low-income children in Lake County during times of crisis.
Our support of the foundation funds the work with social workers and school counselors to help children and
their families with tangible necessities, such as school uniforms and clothing, shoes, car seats, eyeglasses,
summer camp fees, extracurricular expenses, and other items beyond reach for families struggling to make ends meet.
View Mothers Trust Foundation >
Angel Tree Program
Every holiday season, our employees purchase and wrap gifts for children and adults in need.
Our 2020 community partner was A Safe Place, an organization transforming lives after domestic
violence and human trafficking in Lake County.
View A Safe Place >
Rosalind Franklin University Health Clinics
We fund the clinic’s Community Care Connection, a mobile health vehicle that travels throughout Lake County offering a variety of free screenings.
Due to COVID-19, they have pivoted and are offering COVID-19 testing and vaccinations.
View Rosalind Franklin University Health Clinics >
Erie HealthReach Waukegan Health Center
The center provides affordable health care and bilingual service in Waukegan, where a significant portion of residents speak Spanish.
Dental services are also offered for children and expecting mothers.
View Erie HealthReach Waukegan Health Center >
United Way of Lake County’s 211 program
As key funders since United Way of Lake County developed this program, 211 is a free, confidential, 24-hour information
and referral helpline connecting individuals and families in need with access to available health and human services.
View United Way of Lake County’s 211 program >
Northern Illinois Food Bank
Provides nutritious food and resources in 13 counties in northern Illinois. Our support of the organization helps them
provide 250,000 meals a day through a network of nearly 1,000 volunteers.
View Northern Illinois Food Bank >
Sustaining the Environment
Seven Generations Ahead
This organization educates area students about waste reduction and helps schools increase recycling,
eliminate waste sources and compost food scraps through its Zero Waste Schools program. The funding we
provide goes toward curriculum development and a commercial composting initiative in participating schools.
Through recycling, composting and food recovery, the schools divert roughly 85%of their waste from landfills.
View Seven Generations Ahead >
Lake Forest Open Lands
We support the Center for Conservation Leadership, which develops and empowers students to understand the
importance of human interaction with the environment and to take responsibility for its preservation.
The yearlong program combines environmental education, leadership training and community service.
View Lake Forest Open Lands >
Audubon Great Lakes
We have provided funding for a collaboration with Audubon Great Lakes, Waukegan Harbor Citizens Advisory Group,
and the Lake County Audubon Society to develop an elevated walkway and observation deck in Waukegan to increase
visibility of the dune and wetland areas that have been remediated and restored from their past as an industrial site.
View Audubon Great Lakes >
Economic development and programs
North Shore Gas Energy Efficiency Program
The program offers incentives to encourage business customers to make energy-efficient improvements,
and helps businesses reduce their energy use and shrink their carbon footprint with assistance from
our energy efficiency experts. Roquette America, a manufacturing company in Gurnee, is one of the
business customers that has benefited from the program. Rebates, programs and incentives
are also available through the program for residential customers.
View Rebates, programs and incentives >
Supplier diversity
Our Supplier Diversity Initiative is designed to increase access, procurement opportunities and use of minority-,
women-, service disabled- and veteran-owned businesses through the purchase of products and services. By continuing
these partnerships, we are sustaining our commitment to the economic growth and revitalization of Chicago’s northern suburbs.
View Supplier diversity >
New businesses
We are committed to supporting new businesses in Chicago’s northern suburbs. We offer a variety of services to help them
complete their construction plans. With 120 years of experience, we work to provide excellent customer service in promptly
connecting new service facilities.
View New businesses >
