Nonprofits throughout eastern Kansas that serve community members in need will soon receive a total of $45,000 in contributions from Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative consumer-members through Heartland’s Operation Round Up program.
“Operation Round Up is proof that when a lot of people are willing to chip in just a little bit each month, they can make big things happen for their communities,” said Mark Scheibe, Heartland CEO. “We’re proud that our board and our consumer-members have continued to support this program over the years.”
Through Operation Round Up, Heartland consumer-members’ electric bills are rounded up to the next dollar each month. The additional amount is collected and pooled into a fund for distribution to non-profit 501(c) (3) charitable organizations that provide food, clothing, shelter, medical care, education, and other direct services for those in need.
Funds collected through the Operation Round Up program are administered by a panel of volunteers selected by the Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative Board of Directors and come from throughout Heartland’s 12-county service area.
The Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas manages Operation Round Up contributions and disburses funds on behalf of Heartland. Operation Round Up distributions for 2022 will be mailed in January.
Grant recipients for 2022 are listed below in alphabetical order:
- A Meal in His Name - Girard
- Alliance of Churches for Christian Living - Chanute
- Centerville Community Church - Blue Mound
- Concern, Inc. - Mound City
- Elsmore United Methodist Church
- Erie Federated Church
- Erie Ministerial Alliance Christmas Basket Fund
- Erie Ministerial Alliance Love Baskets
- First Baptist Church - Chanute
- First Baptist Church - Mound City
- First Baptist Church - Pleasanton
- First Baptist Church - Riverton
- First Baptist Church of Cherokee
- First Christian Church - Pleasanton
- First Presbyterian Church of Iola Sunday Soups
- Girard Community Food Pantry
- Hope Chest - Baxter Springs
- Hope Unlimited, Inc. - Iola
- Humboldt Community Food Pantry
- Immanuel Lutheran Church - Hepler
- Manna Depot - Columbus
- Mound City Christian Church
- Mound City United Methodist Church
- Orange Swan Free Store - Erie
- Parker United Methodist Church Helping Hands & Hearts Food Pantry
- Reach Out Food Pantry - Prescott
- Sacred Heart Catholic Church - Mound City
- Wesley United Methodist Churches Iola
- Wings of Warriors - Gas
Applications were accepted in October and November and were reviewed by the Operation Round Up Board of Directors at its annual meeting on December 2.
About Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.
Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. powers rural lifestyles throughout more than 11,000 locations in southeast and eastern Kansas. Heartland’s service area includes consumer-members in 12 counties, including Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Cherokee, Coffey, Crawford, Labette, Linn, Miami, Neosho, Wilson, and Woodson counties.
Heartland REC is a non-profit, member-owned cooperative that traces its roots back to three original rural electric cooperatives: Cooperative Electric Power & Light Company, Sugar Valley Electric Cooperative Association, and Sekan Electric Cooperative Association. Cooperative Electric Power & Light Company joined with Sugar Valley in 1975 to form United Electric Cooperative; United Electric Cooperative joined with Sekan Electric Cooperative Association in 1996 to form Heartland.