Local organizations receive donations

VW independent staff/submitted information

PAULDING — Members of Paulding Putnam recently donated $13,512 to 17 local charities and community projects through the cooperative’s Operation Round Up program.

Thanks to the 80 percent of members who round up their electric bill and donate to this fund, Paulding Putnam has provided more than $814,835 to northwest Ohio and northeast Indiana communities since 2010.

Participating members round up their monthly electric bill to the next dollar, with the extra pennies being used to help fund charities and groups in their communities. Each quarter, the funds are dispensed to local causes that applied for funding.

The most recent donation recipients include

• Children’s Hunger Alliance: $1,000 to provide weekend meal program for students in Paulding and Putnam counties
• Crestview Local Schools: $500 to purchase make up supplies for Shrek the Musical
• Defiance Area Youth for Christ: $1,000 to support the annual trip to Boundary Waters, Minnesota
• Delphos Jefferson Middle School: $264 to purchase “Pay it forward” t-shirts
• First United Methodist Church: $350 to purchase back to school supplies for Van Wert County students in need
• Friends of the Paulding County Parks: $1,000 to help with Port-a-John fees
• Lima Symphony Orchestra: $1,500 to support the Young People’s Concert
• Love, Inc. of Van Wert County: $1,500 to fund essential electrical repairs for homeowners
• Miller City Volunteer Fire Department: $1,770 to purchase an AED for an emergency response vehicle

• Ottawa Elementary: $750 to purchase STEM lab materials
• Ottawa-Glandorf Band Boosters: $750 to purchase a baritone saxophone
• Putnam County Council on Aging: $750 to install ADA compliant doors for the new facility
• St. Johns The Evangelist Catholic School (Delphos): $264 to help cover the cost of a speaker and prizes for the positive behavior program
• St. Rose of Lima Catholic School (Monroeville): $264 to purchase new drinking fountains
• Vantage Career Center: $750 to support their Toss-a-Toy program where they purchase Christmas gifts for kids
• Van Wert Area Performing Arts Foundation: $600 to support the cost of a free pre-show experience for kids and parents
• YMCA of Van Wert County: $500 to purchase new life jackets and safety harnesses

Operation Round Up was started in 2010 as a way to give back to Paulding Putnam’s communities. Groups in both Ohio and Indiana can apply. Organizations can apply for Operation Round Up assistance by contacting Paulding Putnam’s Marketing and Communications Manager, Samantha Kuhn, at skuhn@ppec.coop or visiting www.ppec.coop/operation-round. If you want to participate by rounding up your monthly bill, call Paulding Putnam’s office at 800-686-2357. The average member’s donation is about $6 per year.