PP&L, Inc., employees donated 7,820 pounds of food, medical supplies and clothing in an effort to aid people who are struggling to survive the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch in El Salvador.

PP&L, Inc.'s Community of Volunteers, the company's employee volunteer organization, set up a network to collect the supplies in just 12 days. The nearly 4 tons of supplies are equivalent to a four-story-high column measuring about 7 1/2 feet at its base.

PP&L, Inc.'s sister company, PP&L Global, provides electricity distribution services to nearly 200,000 people in El Salvador in conjunction with its Chilean partner, Emel.

Lou Ramos, PP&L, Inc.'s manager of Community Affairs, has been in touch with the PP&L Global people in El Salvador. "The infrastructure of the country has been destroyed," said Ramos. "The people are in desperate need of food and medical supplies. We felt it was only right to come to the aid of our Central American neighbors.

"Our employees, in the fine tradition of PP&L, truly opened their hearts. The outpouring of food, medical supplies and clothing was phenomenal. I can honestly say there isn't a finer group of people anywhere. I am humbled by the show of support by our employees."

Medical supplies included adult and children's Tylenol or generic equivalent, cold and congestion medication, diarrhea medicines, stomach infection medicine, eye drops, Band-Aids, gauze bandages, first-aid adhesive tape, rubbing alcohol and iodine. Foods collected included beans, rice, sugar, salt, tuna fish, instant soup, instant coffee, infant formula and cereals for children. Other items included infant bottles, blankets, jackets, disposable diapers and sanitary products.

Items were collected companywide and sent to six major work locations at PP&L, Inc. Employees in the Harrisburg, Hazleton, Lancaster, Lehigh, Scranton and Susquehanna areas sorted, labeled, boxed and shipped the items to the company's Allentown headquarters in a 15-foot tractor trailer. There, the boxes were packed into a 20-foot overseas container and driven to a local warehouse where they were reloaded into a 40-foot container and driven to the New York port. The container is scheduled to be loaded onto the next ocean vessel destined for El Salvador, which is on Dec. 10. The supplies are expected to arrive in El Salvador Jan. 2, 1999.

In the Hazleton and Lancaster areas, PP&L, Inc., employees expanded their relief efforts to include community donations. "The response was tremendous," said Martha Herron, PP&L, Inc.'s community development director in the Hazleton area. "For three days, we had a steady stream of people coming in with cans of kidney beans, baby formula and various medicines. It was heartwarming." Other community help came from companies such as Georgia Pacific in Mt. Wolf that donated shipping boxes.

Employees' efforts to aid Central Americans is continuing. "Phase two has begun," said Ramos. "We need to somehow supply the special medicines and life-saving supplies so desperately needed. Our goal now is to raise a total of $10,000 to purchase antibiotics and medicines to treat malaria and other life-threatening diseases."

Through an arrangement with the Lehigh Valley Red Cross and the El Salvador Red Cross, critical supplies and medicines will be purchased with employee donations.

PP&L, Inc., will match total employee donations up to $5,000. "Even before we had a plan in place, employees were writing checks and giving cash," Ramos said. "Many employees will choose to give a cash contribution in addition to donating food and supplies. That's how much our employees believe in this effort and others like it."