Dixie Electric employees volunteered to pack 225 backpacks for foster children in the company’s seven-county system on Monday, in conjunction with Martin Luther King Jr. Cooperative Day of Service.
In November, employees sold “12 Days of Christmas” tickets for $25 each, with proceeds from that fundraiser benefiting the Foster Backpack Program. Dixie Electric was able to raise almost $6,000 and increase the expected number of foster backpacks from 200 to 225.
Foster backpacks are intended to help ease the transition into foster care for the foster child and foster parent. Items include diapers, wipes, toys, pajamas, socks, undergarments, nightlights, bottles and additional essentials to get the child through the first several days. Most foster children enter the system with the clothes on their backs and nothing else.
Dixie Electric officials saw a way to ease the burden for foster families, allowing them to have items immediately when taking a child into their care.
“At Dixie Electric, we believe in the power of community and the importance of supporting those in need,” said Communication Manager Amanda Mills. “Every child deserves a strong start in the foster program, and we are committed to contributing to the well-being of those in need in our area. We are very thankful for those in our community who are willing to step up and answer the call to foster kids in need, and if we can do this small act to help ease that burden, we are more than happy to.”
On Friday, Dixie Electric representatives will deliver the backpacks to Child Protective Services offices in Jones, Wayne, Perry and Forrest counties.
Electric cooperatives are deeply rooted in the communities they serve and are committed to making their communities better places to live, work and play, Mills said, adding that they are also grateful for organizations, such as our local Child Protective Services, that serve their communities.
Dixie Electric Power Association serves 40,000 accounts in a seven-county area in south Mississippi, including Jones, Jasper, Wayne, Perry, Forrest, Covington and Clarke counties.
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