Randolph EMC’s People Helping People program was recently awarded $5,000 as part of cooperative lender CoBank’s Sharing Success Matching Grant Program. The Sharing Success program was started in 2012 as a way to give back to co-ops and the nonprofits they support. Under the program, CoBank allocates $3 million annually to match charitable contributions by cooperatives to nonprofit organizations in their local communities, up to $5,000 per co-op.

“As a local nonprofit organization established to help Randolph EMC members in times of hardship, People Helping People is a perfect fit for Co-Bank’s Sharing Success program,” said Jill Vanness, Director of Member and Public Relations for REMC.

“With Randolph EMC’s $5,000 contribution combined with CoBank’s $5,000 match, we can designate these additional funds to extend PHP’s charitable reach to help a greater number of members on a broader spectrum,” she added.

The member-led PHP Board of Directors reviews the grant requests to carefully select which programs benefit REMC members most. The extra change that members contribute to PHP on their monthly bills is reserved for individual assistance referrals and is not used in the community grants program.

Apply for Grant Funds Now!

Registered 501(c)(3) organizations in Alamance, Moore, Montgomery, Chatham and Randolph counties are eligible to apply for funding up to $2,000. The funds should be used to implement programs or purchase needed equipment to facilitate a program that will help make a positive impact in the communities where Randolph EMC member-owners reside. Priority will be placed on projects that:

• Positively impact and address an unmet need for a significant number of community members
• Have the potential to serve a broad and diverse range of community members
• Contain measurable short-term outcomes within 12 months