Community Outreach

Q: What do I do if I need help?

Contact local Help agencies. Download the Agency Help list PDF here

Q: What do I do if I need help?

Contact local Help agencies. Download the Agency Help list PDF here

October 3, 2022

Members helping members

October is Co-op Month, and what better way to celebrate than by working together to help fellow members and strengthen our community? During the month of October, we will be accepting donations to help impact the most vulnerable in our local areas.

Help us stock the shelves for Fort Mill Care Center

A local non-profit organization that provides food and financial assistance to residents of Fort Mill and Tega Cay, Fort Mill Care Center is accepting the following three non-perishable food items: boxed mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and grits.

Help P.A.T.H. in York provide blankets to those in need

New or gently used blankets will be accepted to keep our neighbors warm this winter with the help of Positive Affirmation Through Helping (PATH). PATH is a local non-profit organization that helps and ministers those in need living in York, Sharon, Hickory Grove, Smyrna, and McConnells.

If you would like to participate, please bring your donations to either our main office at 1385 East Alexander Love Hwy. in York or to our Fort Mill office at 2089 Hwy. 21 in Fort Mill.

Please note that our lobbies remain closed, so donations will be accepted through the window and near the designated, labeled drop-off sites in the drive-thru areas of both offices. Please be mindful of your donations, looking out for expiration dates and wear.

Thank you for helping YEC celebrate the value of cooperative membership through community support.

August 31, 2018

Building a better future

Paul Basha, CEO, York Electric Cooperative

Your cooperative began by lighting a path for members in 1941 that was otherwise dark. We believed in our communities and wanted to offer the possibility of a better life to everyone, regardless of where they lived. Not much has changed today. York Electric Cooperative takes the responsibility of providing you with affordable, reliable energy a step further by cultivating the communities of our members.

Electricity made life easier and offered new opportunities. York Electric provided this building block of hope, giving the power of light and the power of human connections to members living in rural areas.

Although electricity is now a staple in everyday society, your cooperative continues to offer opportunities of a lifetime. York Electric Cooperative strives to do more than simply provide reliable electricity, we want to help you build a better future by investing in our youth.

At a young age, we teach students about the importance and dangers of electricity. We spend time in our schools helping our children learn about our story and about the cooperative difference. But that’s not all. We send students to Washington, D.C. to learn about the cooperative voice that spreads across our great nation. Similarly, we send another group of young representatives to Columbia to learn about our work in South Carolina. We sponsor 13 different scholarships towards higher education for cooperative members, including one specifically designated for a student who is entering a technical field.

Thank you to each of our recipients for representing York Electric Cooperative’s future. Our dedication to building success, one brick at a time, is tried and true. We’ve continued the tradition, evolving our tactics over the years, and will continue to look out for you for years to come. Together we can make a difference.

Paul Basha
President and Chief Executive Officer

2018 Linemen Gear Up for Safety Coloring Contest Winners

November 3, 2014

Member donations reach $2-million milestone

Operation Round Up by the Numbers Since York Electric introduced Operation Round Up in 2000, participating members have contributed $2 million for local charities in York, Chester, Lancaster and Cherokee counties.

By allowing YEC to round up their bills to the next dollar, their average monthly contribution is only about 50 cents. But, multiplied by the power of cooperation, their small change makes a big difference for organizations like the York County Cancer Association, the Clover Area Assistance Center and the Fort Mill Care Center.

A crucial difference

Created in 1959 by the late Judy Bledsoe, the York County Cancer Association currently serves 19 uninsured and underinsured clients—all county residents—with 156 client services. Those include cancer medications, supplies such as ostomy and mastectomy products, nutrition, and transportation costs for doctor and treatment appointments.

Retirees Bob and Betty Loftin operate the York County Cancer Association out of their garage in Tega Cay, holding the line on expenses. A whopping 95 percent of the association’s budget goes to client services. *Photo: Walter Allread*

The Operation Round Up Trust Board, which administers member donations, granted the association $8,500 for this fiscal year, says Betty Loftin, association president. It came at a crucial time, says her husband, Bob, the non-profit’s treasurer. The association received no United Way support this year due to a fund-raising shortfall.

The Operation Round Up grant will allow the association to serve clients through next June. “We were ecstatic,” Betty says. “When [the co-op] called that morning to tell me, I couldn’t help it, I cried.”

No wonder. Without the association’s help, some cancer-stricken clients often face tough choices, Bob notes: “It can be between paying for food or paying for medications.”

Crisis prevention

Karen van Vierssen and David Hill — Executive Director Karen van Vierssen at the Clover Area Assistance Center, where clients “shop” for food, accompanied by food bank volunteers. Stocking the shelves is part-time employee David Hill.

Executive Director Karen van Vierssen says the Clover Area Assistance Center often helps people who have never had to ask for aid. “It’s usually a crisis prevention situation,” she says. “If you are living from paycheck to paycheck, all it takes is one incident—a car breaks down and that’s how you get to work. They have to decide between the repair or a utility bill or food. We are able to reduce the worry and prevent a worse issue.”

Relying mostly on local support such as Operation Round Up’s, the center carefully screens applicants. “We have a real obligation as stewards of the money to make sure it goes where it’s needed,” she says. Proving their situation empowers clients to move toward self-sufficiency, van Vierssen says, “That’s what we’re about: Empowering people to become more self-sufficient and less dependent.”

‘The perks’ of helping

Ft. Mill Volunteers — Just a few of Fort Mill Care Center’s volunteers, including (from left) President Eileen Misek, Jan Habermeyer, Kathy Hess, Glenda Mize and Peggy Hall.

For years, Operation Round Up aid has helped the Fort Mill Care Center provide emergency food, utility assistance, emergency dental care and other services. In 2013, for instance, the center gave $246,452.70 worth of food to 2,831 families.

President Eileen Misek shares thank-you’s from grateful clients who just needed a hand up, not a handout. One wrote, “Success is the fruit of personal effort plus support and encouragement from someone like you.” Said another: “A super hug for all you do all the time to take care of ‘the least of these,’ those who need it most in our community.

The center’s volunteers, who contribute more than 3,000 hours a year, are inspired by messages like these, Misek says: “That’s what you call the perks!”

To enjoy the perks of knowing your small change will make a big difference locally, call (803) 684-4248 to sign up for Operation Round Up.

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Operation Round Up FAQ

Exactly what is this Operation Round Up and more importantly will I recoup the amount that was rounded up?

Operation Round Up is a voluntary contribution on your electric bill which adds a few pennies each month. The most you could ever donate in a year would be $12, but most members’ donations are around $6 per year. These pennies are added together from all our participating members, and York Electric’s Trust Board makes grants to non-profit agencies who are serving needs in our community. Since 2000, York Electric’s members have raised approximately $2.3 million, and we now have 62% member participation.

Category: Operation Round Up FAQ

What do I do if I need help?

Contact local Help agencies. Download the Agency Help list PDF here

Category: Operation Round Up FAQ

How can I help?

We make it easy. Sign up by calling our member services department at 803-684-4248, and we’ll simply round your electric bill up to the next highest dollar each month. The extra change – an average of only 50 cents a month or $6 a year – is your contribution to the program. If you wish to discontinue your contributions at any time, simply contact YEC.

Category: Operation Round Up FAQ

Are my contributions tax deductible?

Contributions to Operation Round Up are tax deductible. In January and February, your utility bill will have a summary of the contributions you made to Operation Round Up during the previous year.

Category: Operation Round Up FAQ

How do I find out to whom the funds were distributed?

After each quarterly meeting, our website is updated with the current disposition statement. Also, we periodically publish updates about Operation Round Up in South Carolina Living magazine.

Category: Operation Round Up FAQ

October 22, 2014

Round Up & Reach Out

As a member of York Electric Cooperative, you are a part of a community service program that helps raise thousands of dollars each year for worthy community projects right here at home.

That’s right. By rounding up electric bills to the next highest dollar York Electric contributes money to local charities and the charities in turn provide assistance to individuals who are in need. The average member participating in Operation Round Up contributes about 50 cents a month. Since the program began in 2000, over $1.8 million has been donated.

Who Distributes the Funds?

The program is administered by the Operation Round Up Trust Board, an independent board of community leaders that assesses the needs for granting Operation Round Up funds. Local non-profit organizations are assisted so they are able to provide food, shelter, clothing, health care, etc. to individuals who are in need. Political issues and campaigns do not receive funds.

A Heap of Heartfelt Gratitude

Teresa Creech, Executive Director
Early Learning Partnership of York County

“On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Early Learning Partnership of York County, we would like to thank you for your generous donation of $9,300 for the Free Medical Clinics for Uninsured Children. Your support acts as a significant catalyst to help build healthier, successful communities for our children and families.”

Eileen F. Misek, President
Fort Mill Care Center

“Thank you all so much for reviewing our grant application so VERY favorably! The $10,000 will be used to fund utility bills for our clients. You are assisting the Center to continue its mission of providing short-term emergency assistance to those in the Fort Mill Township. Thanks also to all of you at York Electric for performing your mission of “enlightening” us here in Fort Mill.”

Ainslee Moss, President
Tender Hearts Ministries

“Thank you so much for the generous donation of $10,000. Your donation will help many individuals and families through our community outreach and shelter programs. Thank you for keeping a tender heart toward those in need and helping us help others. York Electric and the Operation Round Up program is a blessing to us!”

Charles Grobusky, Development Director
Upper Palmetto YMCA

“Giving those who are less fortunate an opportunity to participate in camp is a gift they will appreciate forever. Your generous donation of $10,000 is a tremendous support to our A+ Camper Program. The program is a vehicle that provides low income and deserving students a Camp Cherokee experience. We are thankful for York Electric’s community service program and to their members who make it possible.”

Debbie Wieland, Executive Director
York County Christian Women’s Job Corp

“Thank you for your support in our fight against poverty throughout York County. Your generous donation of $10,000 will help us continue the Seven Steps toward Self-Sufficiency Program, which guides women in need down the path of becoming self-sufficient. Thank you for partnering with us to provide hope to women and children in poverty, helping each woman improve her employability, and while also improving her children’s chances for a better future. York Electric’s commitment to community is making a positive difference in the lives of many.”

Contributions to Operation Round Up are tax deductible. In January and February, your utility bill will have a summary of the contributions you made to Operation Round Up during the previous year. YEC will also use every available means, including South Carolina Living, to keep you informed about how and when funds are distributed. Learn more about Operation Round Up

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