Local Electric Cooperative 'Rounds Up' Support for Local Food Shelves

Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association’s (WH) Operation Round Up participants continue to help local organizations and families with recent grants totaling $43,281.

Funding for Operation Round Up is supplied by WH members who allow their electric statements to be rounded up to the nearest dollar every month. The average donation of each participating WH member is $6 per year—with more than 80 percent of WH members participating. Since the Operation Round Up program began in 1994, WH members have donated more than $2.4 million to local worthy causes.

The Operation Round Up trust board, which administers the program, approved $19,091 to support the local food shelves in Annandale, Buffalo, Clearwater, Cokato, Delano, Elk River, Hanover, Monticello, Waverly, Wayzata, Maple Grove, Maple Plain, Mound and Rockford.

The following donations were also made on behalf of WH members for spring 2012:

• $2,400, Autism Allies, funds to support a resource fair
• $1,000, Boy Scout troop #358, Buffalo, funds to replace a trailer
• $500, Boy Scout troop #490, Rockford, funds to replace tents
• $1,500, Family Hope Services/TreeHouse, funds to provide rides for youth to attend mentoring and other counseling programs
• $4,240, ALS of Minnesota, funds to purchase two rolling shower commodes
• $6,000, American Cancer Society, funds to support six Relay for Life events
• $550, Hasty-Silver Creek Sportsmen’s Club, funds to purchase supplies for  bird houses and feeders that will be built with area youth
• $1,000, Let’s Go Fishing, funds to support LFG program
• $2,000, Sharadise Therapeutics Foundation, funds to offer scholarships
• $5,000, SOAR Regional Arts, funds to help with props, materials and costumes needed for a show

All funds generated for Operation Round Up are placed in a trust fund. A trust board, which is appointed by the cooperative’s board of directors, independently administers these funds. Donations are made to local civic organizations or worthy causes through an application and selection process. The trust board uses special guidelines and policies when choosing recipients.

For those wishing to apply for funds, the next application deadline is June 1, 2012. To receive an application, or for more information about guidelines and policies, visit WH’s website, send an email to info@whe.org, or call Lisa Zipp at (763) 477-3000 ext. 6126.

WH is a member-owned non-profit electric utility that provides electric power to Wright County and the western part of Hennepin County. The cooperative has been a corporate citizen in this area since 1937 and currently serves more than 46,000 electric accounts. The utility started its security division in 1989 that provides local home security solutions as well as monitors alarm systems for more than 50,000 customers in 32 states and three Canadian provinces.