Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative distributed $12,000 in matching grant funding this week to four local nonprofits working in addiction recovery, homelessness, senior services and childhood cancer support, the latest round in a recurring partnership between the utility and its lender, CoBank.
Each organization — The Jude House, Wrapping Arms ‘Round Many (WARM), Friends of Calvert County Seniors and the Clements Cuties Foundation — received $3,000 through CoBank’s Sharing Success program, which allows CoBank customers like SMECO to apply for matching funds to pass along to nonprofits the cooperative already supports.
The Jude House, a recovery community organization focused on breaking generational cycles of substance use disorder, plans to put its funding toward practical barriers that can otherwise derail someone’s recovery. “Recovery isn’t just about treatment; it’s about rebuilding a life,” said Susie Thompson, the organization’s executive director. “This funding helps us remove the practical barriers our residents face, from career training and driver’s education to obtaining birth certificates and identification documents needed to get hired.” Thompson said the grant will also support the organization’s experiential programming, including fishing, hiking, Outward Bound trips, family reintegration efforts and alumni events.
Credit: SMECO
Credit: SMECO
Credit: SMECO
WARM, an ecumenical partnership among St. Mary’s County faith communities that provides overnight winter shelter for homeless adults from November through March, said the funding will help sustain its network of host sites. “Last winter, when overnight temperatures dipped as low as 14 degrees, WARM provided critical protection from the cold for 36 adults, totaling 1,545 guest nights and more than 3,200 meals,” said William Hill, the organization’s board treasurer.
Friends of Calvert County Seniors, founded in January 1993 to help residents 60 and older remain independent, plans to direct its grant toward dental care and emergency assistance, working closely with the Calvert County Office on Aging on case referrals. “Our current practice is to provide a maximum of $2,500 for dental services and $500 for other needs,” said Harriet Yaffe, the group’s board chairperson, noting the organization currently has a waiting list of 13 people seeking help with dental bills. “SMECO’s donation will pay for much-needed dental care for two people and at least two grants for people with other needs.”
The Clements Cuties Foundation, which has raised awareness and support for children facing cancer and other severe illnesses since the 1970s through its long-running tradition of charity softball games, will use its share to help cover medical expenses, fulfill children’s individual wishes and fund memorial scholarships.
“Concern for community is at the heart of everything we do as a cooperative,” said Natalie Cotton, SMECO’s government and public affairs director. “SMECO is proud to stand with organizations that deliver essential support to Southern Maryland families.”
SMECO, incorporated in 1937, is one of the 15 largest electric cooperatives in the country, serving more than 178,000 member accounts across Charles, Calvert, St. Mary’s and parts of Prince George’s counties. As a customer of CoBank, a national cooperative bank that serves agricultural and rural infrastructure lenders, SMECO regularly applies for Sharing Success matching grants and has used the program for more than a decade to funnel additional support to causes it already sponsors. Past rounds have benefited a wide range of organizations, from regional hunger-relief groups and Meals on Wheels chapters to the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity and local disaster-response agencies, with the Clements Cuties Foundation appearing as a recipient in several previous rounds.
CoBank’s Sharing Success program has grown substantially since its creation, expanding from an initial $3 million annual fund when SMECO first participated in 2013 to its current $6 million annual commitment. Combined with matching contributions from its customer cooperatives nationwide, CoBank says the program has generated more than $97 million in donations since 2012, a total that has climbed by tens of millions of dollars over just the past several years as more cooperative customers have taken part.
