BLOOMFIELD – The Utilities District of Western Indiana REMC’s Community Fund donated more than $14,000 across 13 local organizations in June, including $5,000 to Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry to support its “‘Meat’ the Need” initiative.
The funds received by Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry will be used to pay processing fees on donated livestock and deer, with the meat then donated to agencies serving food-insecure residents within the UDWI 11-county service area. According to Feeding America, nearly 900,000 Indiana residents regularly struggle with food insecurity – 274,080 of which are children.
Founded in 2011, Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry has paid to process 1.8 million pounds of food, providing over 7.5 million meals. Partnering with 85 meat processors statewide, the organization gives approximately 250,000 pounds of meat annually to an average of 500 hunger relief agencies throughout Indiana.
“The Community Fund contribution will allow us to continue and expand on our mission of hunger relief by providing 16,000 more meals through local hunger relief agencies,” said Debra Treesh, executive director of Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry. “We are so grateful for the continued support of our efforts in responding to the needs of those in the community facing hunger.”
The grant was a part of UDWI’s Community Fund, a non-profit organization created by the cooperative that provides members an avenue to make a difference in their communities. The program works by allowing members to round up their energy bills to the next whole dollar, and UDWI then awards the amount collected to local organizations.
“Taking care of our community members and organizations is a privilege we have as a cooperative and we are grateful to our members for allowing us to continue giving back,” said UDWI Board Member John Royal. “During my time serving on the Community Fund board, it has become a priority to provide funds to the food banks and kitchens in our service territory and I am thankful for the work they do to serve our communities.”
Other recipients of Community Fund grants in June included: Clay County Historical Society, Faithful Fitness, Healthy Hearts Program, Knights of Columbus Council #1166, Linton Farmers Market, Linton Police Department – National Night Out, Open Arms Family & Educational Services, Pregnancy Choices, Scotland Festival Committee, Shakamak Guidance Department, Spencer Pride, Inc., and The Monroe County Civic Theater.
The UDWI Community Fund is accepting applications now for its next grant cycle. All non-profit businesses in UDWI’s service area are encouraged to apply. Please visit UDWI’s website to learn more about the program and to start an application.
