SECO Members/Employees Donate 5,000 Pounds to Local Food Pantries
Hundreds of SECO Energy members and employees graciously gave 5,000 pounds of non-perishable food during the “Feeding the Cooperative Spirit” food drive initiative at SECO Energy’s 81st Annual Meeting of the Membership which garnered a crowd of nearly 5,000 attendees on Saturday, March 23, 2019.
SECO Energy and local United Way agencies partnered to identify 14 regional food banks in SECO Energy’s service territory to receive the collected food. Volunteers from some of those food banks along with United Way representatives and SECO employees collected, sorted, packed, and delivered 5,000 pounds of non-perishable food items to:
- Brother’s Keeper
- Salvation Army of Marion County
- Interfaith Emergency Services
- St. Theresa’s Social Services
- Community of Gratitude
- Salvation Army of Lake County
- Leesburg Food Bank
- Faith Neighborhood Center, Inc.
- Lake Cares
- Salvation Army of Sumter County
- Wildwood Food Pantry
- Hope Ministries Center, Inc.
- Daystar Life Center
- Community Food Bank Citrus County
According to Rebecca Brislain, Executive Director of the Florida Association of Food Banks, “Florida food banks have been distributing food at disaster levels over the last three years with increases of 80 percent in some areas of the state.”
CEO Jim Duncan said, “We recognize disasters don’t always hit during a hurricane or severe storm but can occur at any given time to individuals or families. We continue to adhere to our seventh cooperative principle, “Concern for Community.” I believe this is why hundreds of our members showed their concern for community by donating to this worthy cause.”
“Some of our members suggested they would visit one of the identified food banks at a later date to drop-off their food items. Others gave money for SECO to purchase items for the food drive. We ask the community to continue our theme of ‘Feeding the Cooperative Spirit’ by giving to the local food bank closest to them,” stated Kathy Judkins, Senior Consultant for Civic, Charitable & Government Relations.
View our video footage of the food drive and learn more about the not-for-profit cooperative’s community outreach efforts online. Enroll in Pennies from Heaven to have your bill rounded up to the nearest dollar and donate the extra pennies for worthy causes like bill payment assistance for members in need. “Like” SECO’s Facebook page and “follow” @SECOEnergy on Twitter for news releases and cooperative updates.
