A Day of Serving Those Who Served

Electric co-op employees across the state devoted their time and effort to various service projects to make the eighth annual Tennessee Electric Co-op Day of Service a success, with two co-ops focusing their efforts on serving those who have served. Both Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation and Forked Deer Electric Cooperative used the day to honor and serve veterans in their communities.

Forty employees from Cumberland EMC and 10 employees from TVA volunteered at YAIPak, a nonprofit organization in Clarksville. Their mission is to meet the needs of those who are neglected, hurting or affected where they are by providing support, comfort and resources. The 50 volunteers spent the morning at the organization’s warehouse sorting donated items to prepare a shipment of supplies for east Tennessee flood victims from the recent hurricanes. They also delivered furniture and other household goods to a newly housed veteran.

“My goal each year when choosing a service project for the Cooperative Day of Service is to find something that is meaningful and will leave a lasting impression on our employees,” Susie Yonkers, Cumberland EMC community relations coordinator and coordinator of the day of service event, says.

Thirty employees from Forked Deer EC chose to assemble gratitude packs for local veterans. Each pack included small, useful items as well as a meaningful message inside showing the co-op’s appreciation for their service.

“Being able to give back to those who have served our country is truly special to us,” Anna Grissom, Forked Deer EC’s project coordinator, says. “This project is a small but heartfelt way we can show our appreciation, and it reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting the communities we’re a part of.”

The gratitude packs will be donated to the local Veterans Affairs and distributed throughout the month in honor of Veterans Day.

31 separate community service projects were completed with 630 co-op employees volunteering approximately 1,300 hours to their communities on October 17, 2024. Since the inception of the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Day of Service, 210 projects have been completed with the help of 4,164 volunteers who have collectively contributed 10,000 hours of service to their communities.