Spare change adds up, and in March it made a real difference. Medina Electric’s Operation Round Up program awarded two food banks a total of $7,000 in response to an increase in ORU applications asking for help purchasing food and other basic necessities.

Medina EC’s ORU committee awarded $4,000 to the San Antonio Food Bank and $3,000 to the South Texas Food Bank in Laredo to help provide assistance and food to food pantries in 14 of the 17 counties served by Medina EC — Atascosa, Dimmit, Edwards, Frio, Jim Hogg, Kinney, LaSalle, Medina, Real, Starr, Uvalde, Webb, Zapata and Zavala counties.

In addition to food, the San Antonio Food Bank and South Texas Food Bank help with completing paperwork for government assistance programs including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, WIC, and others. They also offer programs to help children and senior citizens receive the food and nutrition they need. Learn more about the San Antonio Food Bank and South Texas Food Bank and their offered programs at SAFoodBank.org and SouthTexasFoodBank.org.

Medina EC, your local electric cooperative, offers the Operation Round Up program for members of the cooperative to round up their monthly electric bills to the next whole dollar. That extra change then goes into a fund managed by the Operation Round Up Trust Committee and is awarded quarterly to individuals and organizations in need across our 17-county service territory.

Applicants do not need to be members of Medina EC but must reside in one of the 17 counties served by the cooperative. Applicants must include a letter of why the donation is needed. The next application deadline is August 2. For more information and to apply online, visit MedinaEC.org/ORU.