Dixie Electric was founded on 7 Cooperative Principles; a key principle is concern for community.
Martin Luther King said it best when he stated, “Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve.”
Dixie Electric employees rolled up their sleeves and put words into action by serving in different areas of the cooperative’s service territory. Dixie Electric, along with other electric cooperatives in the state, participated in an organized day of service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. For Dixie Electric employees, that meant volunteering at local food pantries.
• On Thursday, Jan. 17, Waynesboro employees Dan Wooten and Julie McKee, along with Community Relations Coordinator Pollyanna Magee, served at the Samaritan’s Closet and Pantry. The volunteers packed grocery sacks with food to be given out to local citizens the following day.
• On Friday, Jan. 18, Petal employees Eric Bryant, Courtney Davis, Ryan Boutwell and Pollyanna Magee served at the Petal Children’s Task Force. The team prepared food boxes for the community and stocked food on the shelves as it was donated.
Cooperative Community Day of Service was held in conjunction with Coast Electric, Singing River Electric and Yazoo Valley Electric.
COOPERATIVE ENERGY
Cooperative Energy, in conjunction with Coast Electric, Dixie Electric, Singing River Electric, and Yazoo Valley Electric, participated in Cooperative Day of Service, where employees volunteered in the communities they serve on Martin Luther King Day.
On Jan. 21, Cooperative Energy employees volunteered in Hattiesburg at Edwards Street Fellowship Food Pantry, Edwards Street Fellowship Thrift Store, and Christian Services, Inc.
Twenty-four volunteers spent 72 hours volunteering – 500+ plates were served, 40 pounds of bacon were prepared, 30 gallons of eggs were prepared, 300 pounds of ricotta cheese were bagged, 1,350 bags of rice were packaged and 18 hours were spent sorting through clothes and organizing the thrift store.
Cooperative Energy employees also hosted two collection drives. One was a food drive for Edwards Street Fellowship Center Food Pantry, and 315 cans of food were collected and donated. The second was a comfort care and necessities drive for Kids Hub, a local child advocacy center, and 82 items were collected and donated.
“Cooperative Energy and our member systems are always looking for opportunities to improve the quality of life in Mississippi,” said Christa Bishop, Cooperative Energy’s senior vice president of communications. “We created Cooperative Day of Service along with our fellow electric cooperatives to give our employees an opportunity to volunteer and directly give back to the communities we serve, which is also the place we all call home.”
“Giving back to the communities where our member-consumers live is a staple of cooperative businesses,” said Bishop. “Cooperative Energy and our Member systems are spread across Mississippi, so by joining together, we are able to give back to communities across the state.”
