Shedding Light on Hunger
Recent Program News
Cooperative employees were out and about in the local communities delivering more checks and food to local organizations. Here is how we distributed program donations from the SLOH charity golf outing. Follow us on our social media outlets for all the latest WWVREMC news.
Lunch Bags Distribution
In August, Cooperative employees filled and distributed lunch bags to students in the WWVREMC service area. The first event was held during the Live in Liberty Back to School Bash.
Union county public library
Liberty 4C’s Food Pantry
The Cooperative recently made a donation to the local food pantry of several pounds of food. The donation will help stock the shelves during the holiday season.
UCDC
The Cooperative recently made a $620 donation to UCDC. The donation will help the organization with their annual Thanksgiving family meal baskets.
LES and College Corner Union School
The Cooperative recently made a $700 donation to each school. The donation will help the school keep the snack cart filled with food items for students needing a little nourishment during school hours.
Fayette County Community Voices
The Cooperative recently made a $5,000 donation to the Fayette County Community Voices. The funds will be disbursed through the Fayette County Food Council, which assists several local community pantries and kitchens.
Lifestream Services, Inc.
The Cooperative recently made a $1,200 donation to Lifestream Services, Inc. The funds are earmarked for senior food programs such as their second Harvest Food Bank and drive-thru services to supplement pantry items with fresh meat and produce.
Shedding Light on Hunger Wins 2021 Community Service Challenge
WWVREMC awarded $10,000 for program
The Whitewater Valley REMC Shedding Light on Hunger program has received national recognition by winning the NRECA Community Service Challenge. Entries were voted on during the NRECA INTERACT conference. Conference attendees voted for the community service effort that best demonstrated the concern for community principle as shown by the percentage of co-op employees taking part and the impact of the co-op’s campaign. As the winner WWVREMC received $10,000 for the Shedding Light on Hunger program from United Healthcare and NRECA.
100% of funding for the Shedding Light on Hunger program comes from employees of the cooperative, donations from the cooperative’s partners and money raised from the annual charity golf tournament.
How It Started
The creation of the Shedding Light on Hunger program supports one of the cooperative principles – Concern for Community. It began in 2012 as a food collection and distribution program to help our local food banks keep their shelves filled. 100% of funding for the Shedding Light on Hunger program comes from employees of the cooperative, donations from the cooperative’s partners and money raised from the annual charity golf tournament.
For years, the cooperative held an annual holiday food drive collecting food items and distributing them to local food pantries and organizations. WWVREMC had also been giving away CFL and LEDs to members to promote lighting efficiency. Asking members to donate canned food items in exchange for LEDs was the beginning of the program.
Growing the Program
In 2017, we expanded the program to address food insecurity throughout our service territory with a charity golf tournament. All proceeds from this annual event benefit this on-going program. Partnering with local organizations who work to help our communities, we continue to feed hungry Hoosiers through the Shedding Light on Hunger program. In past years, and with the help of our generous sponsors, we distributed lunch bags filled with food purchased using funds raised during the charity golf tournament. All bags were given to local children within the cooperative’s service area.
For more information about the program contact Jennifer Scott at jscott@wwvremc.com.
Do you know of an organization in our service territory that could use Shedding Light on Hunger funds? Submit a request here!
Shedding Light on Hunger By the Numbers
26,823
Dollars donated back to local organizations
4,600
lbs. of food collected and distributed to the community
340
lunch bags filled and distributed to local students