Co-Op Members give over $40,000

Members of the Vivian Stuber Memorial Library accept a grant in the amount of $3,673. The library has been open in Niangua for 10 years and have plans to purchase gutters for the building, a dehumidifier, new tiling and a book case with the grant funds.

Amber Brand

A member of the Southern Webster County Food Pantry DBA King’s Food Pantry accepts the grant award in the amount of $4,599. The organization plans to purchase a large industrial size refrigerator to replace three old models.

Rogersville Area Senior Center board members accept their award in the amount of $8,007.95. They plan to purchase a building to organize their medical equipment to make it easier to find when needed.

Amber Brand

Officer Deckard accepts the award for the Niangua Police Department. The department received a grant in the amount of $10,000 that will be used in conjunction with another grant from the Law Enforcement Block Grant to purchase a new patrol car and the equipment to go with it.

Amber Brand

Administrator of the Fordland Senior Housing Authority accepts the grant award in the amount of $5,800. They have plans to use the award money for new flooring in four of the apartments.

Amber Brand

Members of the Fordland Memorial Library accept their grant in the amount of $10,000. They plan to repair the sidewalk, steps and railing in front of the library as well as purchase new book covers and a load of dirt to help with water drainage.

Amber Brand

Posted Wednesday, May 11, 2022 12:00 am

Amber Brand amberb@marshfieldmail.com

Non-profit organizations and grant award banquets go hand in hand but it isn’t often that grants come from a member owned Electric Company, nor do they happen as often as they do in Webster County. This past Thursday, Webster Electric Co-Op hosted its regular quarterly grant distribution ceremony. That’s correct, every quarter Webster Electric holds an open grant round for local area non-profits.

Operation Round-up, a special give back opportunity through Webster Electric, is an opt-in program for co-op members. “Webster Electric is a member owned co-op,” explained Denise Holdman, office manager and grant organizer for Webster Electric and the Foundation Board. “If your electric is through Webster Electric, then that means you own a piece of the company. We have about 62% of our membership participating in operation round-up.”

Operation round-up allows members to round their bill up to the next dollar. The rounded amount goes into the foundation for grants. “All you have to do is call and says you want to participate. It’s really easy,” said Holdman. In addition to the funds collected from members rounding up their bills, the Foundation also hosts a Golf tournament in October that raise additional funds.

The program started in 1998 and over the last 24 years Webster Electric Foundation has given out over 2 million dollars in grants to our community. Every quarter local non-profits can apply for a grant through Webster Electric, the only stipulation being that they must be in the Webster Electric service area. “This quarter there were eight applications and six were approved. We gave out a total of $42,079.95 this round,” shared Holdman.

Grant recipients from this grant round are as follows: Niangua Police Department, Vivian Stuber Memorial Library, Fordland Senior Housing Authority, Southern Webster County Food Pantry DBA King’s Food Pantry, Fordland Memorial Library and Rogersville Area Senior Center. Over the next six weeks the Mail will be visiting with each of the grant recipients to feature the works they are doing in our local community.