HUGHESVILLE, Md. – Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) recently helped fight hunger in the region by supporting the Southern Maryland Food Bank. Through donations of food and cash by its employees, the cooperative was able to stock the charity’s shelves with more than 3,100 pounds of food. The donations will enable the food bank to feed more than 140 families.
The Southern Maryland Food Bank, a branch of Catholic Charities, has been working for more than 40 years to alleviate hunger. Besides offering a local food pantry, the organization also maintains a community learning garden and delivers healthy groceries to at-risk children and senior citizens. SMECO employees hold a food drive for the Food Bank each summer. This year’s drive collected more than 1,800 pounds of food, and purchases with donated money brought the total to more than 3,100 pounds.
“The donation of food from SMECO came in at a time when the 35 church pantries that we support on a weekly basis are running low on food resources to meet their clients’ needs,” said George Mattingly, project director for the Southern Maryland Food Bank. According to Mattingly, donations during the summer are very low, resulting in pantries using the costly alternative of purchasing food at wholesale prices. “On behalf of the pantries that the food bank serves, we all thank SMECO for the generous donation,” Mattingly said.
“Our employees care deeply about serving the Southern Maryland community, and for many years they have provided generous donations of food for struggling people in our community,” said Sonja M. Cox, SMECO’s president and CEO. “Helping Southern Maryland families who need assistance with putting food on the table is vital to providing adults and children with basic necessities.”
SMECO’s employees hold other fund-raisers to benefit local organizations. The cooperative chooses different groups each year to receive money from the Annual Charity Golf Outing, which draws support from vendors, the SMECO Board of Directors and executive team, and employees who volunteer.
SMECO – The Cooperative Difference
SMECO was incorporated in 1937 and is one of the 15 largest electric cooperatives in the United States with more than 170,000 member accounts in Charles County, St. Mary’s County, southern Prince George’s County, and most of Calvert County.
Electric cooperatives are shaped by the communities they serve, because co-ops are owned by their customers. Co-op members elect the men and women who serve on the Board of Directors. Members share the responsibility of ownership by financing the cooperative’s operations, but they also share its rewards.
At the end of each year, SMECO’s margins (profits) are allocated to members’ capital credit accounts. SMECO uses its profits to invest in new construction, system improvements, and facility upgrades. The Board of Directors regularly evaluates the financial condition of the co-op and determines when members will receive a refund. Since 1937, SMECO has refunded more than $128 million.
As a cooperative, SMECO will always put its members first and be responsive, reliable, and resourceful—the power you can count on.
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