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“I’m not a good gift receiver.” This self description from Scott Copeland, Northfork Electric’s Co- operative (NFEC) general manager, was part of the catalyst that led to an annual co-op event that Cope- land said has “grown beyond any- thing I could have imagined.” Before 2004 Copeland said he and his senior staff would exchange gifts for Christmas. And though he did not want to seem ungrateful, he described this exchange as a “pain- ful process.” He attributed this to his father’s attitude which Cope- land had adopted: that he already has everything he needs.
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“I was thinking, if you want to make me happy, then take that money and fi nd a family who needs help—that will be my Christmas,” Copeland said.
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“It gives you a great feeling to live in a community that is so giving,” Taylor said.
Taylor said he is proud of the em- ployees, and he can see how much pride they take in their efforts. “It’s the employees who make this work,” Taylor said.
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Copeland transitioned from thinking these thoughts to sharing them with the NFEC board and em- ployees, and in 2004 the “Northfork Co-op Family Christmas” was born. Northfork Electric employees began contacting vendors and col- lecting donations so they could put together gift baskets of food for families in the area who had fallen on hard times and needed a boost. Copeland said at the time they were thinking they might raise $300 - $400, but they ended up with sev- eral thousand dollars, and now they average from $8,000 - $10,000 each year. With this amount, they help approximately 25 to 30 families. The NFEC board supports the event, in part, by donating their De- cember per diems to the cause. Jimmy Taylor has been on the board since 1986 and is the current president. He said the thank you letters from recipients really let him know that the Family Christmas tradition is making a difference.
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Over the years the event has be- come part of the NFEC culture. Kay Brown, administrative as- sistant, said planning for the event really gets going in early Novem- ber. First, employees must meet and decide which families will be on the receiving end of the Family Christmas event. The decisions are not taken lightly. Brown said prob- lems like health issues, injuries, loss of employment or family tragedies could all be reasons a family might be selected.
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Copeland added that the recipi- ents are often people who are trying everything to keep on top of their accounts but may have had a hard year.
So in addition to a box of grocer-
ies, with enough food for a com- plete holiday meal for each family, NFEC also waives the members’ ac- count balances.
“So they go into the new year with a zero balance,” Copeland ex- plained.
The linemen, who are usually
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charged with the responsibility to seek collections for outstanding ac- count balances, are the ones who of- ten have the privilege to deliver the groceries and share the good news. NFEC’s Line Superintendent Glen Tignor has been on those
Continued on page 18 DAV
CO - OP LIVI NG The Joy of Giving Local electric cooperative reaches out to families in need
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