VOLUME 13, No 9
Candidates for the Board of Directors ___
CONNECT SEPTEMBER 2011 EnergyUnited Foundation partners with Backpack Buddies to feed local children Published for Member/Owners of ENERGYUNITED
A Davie County organization makes sure students in that area have more in their backpacks than just books and school supplies. The Backpack Buddies program in Davie County started nearly five years ago to provide
22
EnergyUnited sends two students to basketball camp ___
22 You can make a difference ___
23
How video game consoles impact energy consumption
24
EnergyUnited-0911.indd 1
(Pictured L-R): Backpack Buddies volunteers Todd Swicegood and Carole Blair and EnergyUnited Foundation Administrator Debra Citta pack meals for the program.
public school students from low-income families with supplemental nutritious food. The nonperishable items are packaged by dedicated volunteers and distributed to students throughout the school year. The EnergyUnited Foundation (EUF), whose mission is to assist individuals and families who are suffering unexpected problems and are in grave need of assistance, recently granted funds to Backpack Buddies of Davie County. Thanks to the support of the EUF, along with several benefactors and a matching grant, 80,000 meals – that’s 133 nutritious meals per child served in one year – will be provided to children and their families in Davie County. “The Foundation felt that the mission of Backpack Buddies, was a great way to serve families within the EnergyUnited service area,” said Debra Citta, foundation administrator.
The EUF is a charitable program that provides assistance to families and individuals with urgent needs. The foundation also awards grants to a variety of community, nonprofit organizations that provide assistance to those in need. EnergyUnited members who participate in the program allow their monthly electric bills to be rounded up to the next dollar amount. The average donation is about $6 annually. Since its inception in 1996, the foundation has awarded approximately $3.6 million to more than 2,300 individuals, households and nonprofits organizations. When parents can’t regularly provide meals for their children, often churches, schools, and programs, like Backpack Buddies, become critical resources. The sluggish economy has significantly increased the food insecurity rate, which refers to hunger and the lack of regular access to food. Nearly 20 percent of children in North Carolina are food insecure, according to Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity. Todd Swicegood, a volunteer for Backpack Buddies and a member of the Hillside Sunrise Rotary Club in Davie County, said because many realize the need is so great, the program’s support has been overwhelming. Throughout the school year, Swicegood and other Davie County volunteers from various churches, Hillside Sunrise Rotary Club and A Storehouse for Jesus, an organization that distributes food and clothing for those in need and serves as the center for distribution, gather to organize and pack food for students whose participation remains anonymous. “The intent is to serve all schools in the county,” explained Swicegood, who sees the program reaching more children throughout Davie County and envisions expansion into other counties. “Wherever there exists a need, we want to try to address it.”
21
8/10/11 6:59 PM