California ISO Brightens the Holidays for the Needy.

Power Grid "Elves" Collect 1,000 Gifts & Toys

FOLSOM, Calif. -- The California Independent System Operator Corporation (California ISO) is doing more than just keeping holiday lights shining brightly this season. Employees and contractors at the not-for-profit power grid company collected nearly 1,000 gifts for less fortunate children and seniors in the community. The toys and other presents were handed over today to the "Gifts from the Heart" program. Sponsors received wish lists from program representatives and then went to work on their own time the past few weeks buying and wrapping the gifts that eventually stacked the hallways of the Folsom-based grid operator.

"Gifts from the Heart" is a gift donation program organized by the Sacramento County Department of Health and Human Services. Social workers compile lists of their clients who need a helping hand and match them with companies throughout the county who have employees willing to donate their own money and time for the gift drive. Most of the clients are children who need toys, books and coats, but many are seniors in need of food baskets, blankets, warm clothing and toiletries. The California ISO has been a community partner for the "Gifts from the Heart" Program for eight consecutive years.

The California ISO is a not-for-profit public benefit corporation charged with managing the flow of electricity along California's open-market wholesale power grid. The mission of the California ISO is to safeguard the reliable delivery of electricity and ensure equal access to more than 25,000 circuit miles of "electron highway." As the impartial operator of the wholesale power grid in the state, the California ISO conducts a small portion of the bulk power markets. These markets are used to allocate space on the transmission lines, maintain operating reserves and match supply with demand in real time.