Three Christian County nonprofit organizations are the latest to receive donations from the Hopkinsville Electric System (HES) and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) as part of TVA’s pandemic-driven Community Care Fund.
The Hopkinsville-Christian County Public Library will receive $1,000, the United Way will receive $3,000 and the Christian County Rescue Team will receive $1,000. The local Boys & Girls Club and the Aaron McNeil House have also received funding since the fund began.
“We’ve tried to pick out different nonprofits in our community that were either helping during the pandemic relief or struggling somewhat and needed some assistance,” said Jeff Hurd, general manager of HES.
The Community Care Fund was initially devised to assist regional nonprofits during the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued to address ongoing needs.
“The agencies have embraced the program in partnership with our local power companies because they’re able to identify the local needs in the community and then disperse funding that way,” said Scott Fiedler, TVA spokesperson.
TVA has provided more than $11 million in matching dollars to regional power companies to distribute to local nonprofits since April 2020. HES has subsequently provided nearly $30,000 to Christian County organizations that have applied for such funding.
Of the TVA’s 153 power companies, 138 have participated in the Community Care Fund so far. This includes West Kentucky Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation (WKRECC), which donated to Need Line in Calloway, Grave and Marshall counties, the United Way of Murray-Calloway County, and the River County Business Stimulus Fund in early 2020.
Following a second round of funding last year, WKRECC also donated to family resource centers in Carlisle, Calloway, Graves and Marshall counties and the Team Kentucky Lake Small Business Opportunity Fund in Marshall County.
“By partnering with Community Care, West Kentucky Rural Electric was able to double our local community investment and help more of our members and their families,” said Georgann Lookofsky, communications and media relations coordinator for WKRECC.
Fiedler said the future of the fund has not yet been determined, but local power companies can draw upon it for the time being.
“Our support for the community never wavers,” Fiedler said. “As the program transitions, what folks need to understand is that TVA will always be here for them.”
