MLEC & TVA Support Organizations Responding to COVID-19

Centerville, TN – Concern for Community is one of the Seven Cooperative Principles by which Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative operates. Recently, it partnered with the Tennessee Valley Authority on a fifty-fifty matching grant to contribute $30,000 to community agencies supporting local residents during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Six-thousand was awarded in each MLEC served county to non-profit organizations.

“Our hometowns continue to deal with the impact of COVID-19, and many are facing challenges they’ve never faced before. We see the community hurting and want to help lighten their burden,” says MLEC President and CEO Keith Carnahan. “By working with organizations as they support local families with groceries, education, pay rent and other expenses, we can stretch their resources to help more people.”

Hickman County – The Hickman County Board of Education received $5000 to help equip some buses with Wi-Fi, making them mobile hot-spots students and the community can use for internet access. Hickman County Senior Citizens Center and Helping Hands of Hickman County each received $500 to help those they serve pay utilities and purchase pantry and other items.

Houston County – Bethesda Community Mission, Inc. received $6000 to assist additional families facing job loss with utilities, rent, groceries and other expenses.

Humphreys County – United Way of Humphreys County established a COVID-19 Family Support Fund and will use its $6000 grant to help with rent, utilities and basic financial needs.

Lewis County – Two non-profits each received $3000. Lewis County Food Bank will purchase additional food for their increased demand brought on by more families facing unemployment due to COVID-19. Lewis County Senior Citizens will prepare the center to reopen and cover the related expenses of masks, thermometers, and cleaning supplies, as well as serve member and non-member needs.

Perry County – Perry County School Nutrition received $6000 to help offset the hardship of COVID-19.  Extra food and labor costs, as well as required changes to their operating procedures, created unexpected expenses as they as they continued to feed children nutritious meals during the pandemic.

“In the spirit of public power, we are honored to partner with local power companies like MLEC to address the unprecedented challenges facing those we serve,” says Jeannette Mills, TVA executive vice president and chief external relations officer. “TVA has a mission of service to make life better for the people of the Valley, and providing these funds to address immediate needs is one way we can help.”

For additional information about MLEC, see mlec.com. For additional information about TVA, see tva.gov.