A North Central Electric People Fund grant can truly make a difference in the lives of cooperative members. And it can do so in quick fashion. 
At the cooperative’s annual meeting in June, People Fund Chairperson Ellen Lynch explained how the People Fund responded this spring to an emergency request from a New Washington family whose home was destroyed by fire. 

“We met one evening at 7, and by the next morning, we had a $1,000 check in our hands ready for the family. Was it important? The daughter was graduating the next day and didn’t have adequate clothes to wear to her graduation ceremony. The father needed shoes. Yes, the People Fund make a difference.” 

In between quarterly board meetings, the officers can convene emergency meetings, Lynch said. With a unanimous vote,  emergency grants up to $1,000 can be issued.

In 2014, the People Fund issued two emergency grants to member families whose homes were gutted by fire. “One fire displaced a family of eight. They came back the following month for an additional $2,000 grant. The People Fund made a difference to that family.”  

Through a program called Operation Round Up, members’ monthly electric bills are rounded up to the next dollar and deposited into the People Fund. The average monthly donation is 50 cents. More than 90 percent of eligible residential members voluntarily contribute. 

In 2014, 23 grants totaling $35,468 were awarded. Since 1999, the People Fund has issued 394 grants. Lynch projected that in 2015, the total amount will surpass $750,000. 

Among the grants issued in 2014, the People Fund awarded six grants to schools, three to fire departments and two in New Washington for their downtown district.  

“We all have a commitment to keep these volunteer firefighters safe,” Lynch said, encouraging those not donating to consider joining. “It only takes a few cents each month to make a big impact in helping our neighbors and communities.”