Midwest Electric Members Donate $14,050 To 14 Local Organizations

ST. MARYS — Midwest Electric members are putting spare change to work in west central Ohio.

The cooperative says it recently awarded $14,050 to 14 local charities and community projects through its Community Connection Fund. Midwest Electric credits the program’s participating members, whose monthly electric bills are rounded up to the next dollar with the extra cents deposited into the fund.

Midwest Electric says about 90 percent of members take part. Since 1998, the cooperative says the Community Connection Fund has donated more than $1.4 million to over 1,300 local charitable causes.

The latest grant recipients include:

Specialized Alternatives for Families & Youth (SAFY), $1,000 for youth support programs; Cairo Monroe Township Fire and EMS, $1,000 for lifepack units; Columbus Grove Character Academy (LifeWise), $1,000 for a large screen TV and tables; Marion Township Police Department, $1,000 for an electronic radar speed feedback device; American Township Fire Department, $1,000 for MARCS digital pagers; St. Marys 3 Point Club, $750 for Little Riders youth basketball; God’s Storehouse, $1,500 for the food pantry; St. Paul United Church of Christ Food Ministries, $2,000 for meal programs; Celina Cares, $800 for spay and neuter services for cats; Knights of Columbus Council 1800, $1,000 for a diaper drive benefiting the Choosing Life Pregnancy Center; North Valley CYO, $500 for the State CYO Basketball Tournament; Foundations Behavioral Health Services, $1,000 for the Mercer County Y2Y retreat; St. Henry High School After Prom, $500 for an after prom event; and the Van Wert County Historical Society, $1,000 for archival storage containers.

Midwest Electric says photos of each recipient are available on the cooperative’s Facebook page.

The Community Connection Fund is a voluntary program overseen by a separate board of trustees made up of nine cooperative members. Organizations interested in applying can contact Midwest Electric at 419 394 4110 or visit the Community Connection Fund page at midwestrec dot com.