Lumbee River EMC (LREMC) employees assisted those less fortunate during the holiday season through their Christmas Care program. Employees and board members gathered before Christmas to prepare 132 boxes of food and toys to give to families in the community. The program allows employees and friends of the cooperative to provide food baskets for families and toys for the children during the holiday season.
“The employees of Lumbee River EMC always look forward to this annual program,” said Derek Owens, president of the LREMC Employees Association. “We are lucky to be a part of such a wonderful organization and we feel this is just a little way we can give back to our community. We really do appreciate the cooperative supporting the employees in this event.”
“This program is one of the ways the employees of Lumbee River honor the cooperative’s commitment to our community and our members,” said LREMC Interim President and CEO Carmen Dietrich.
The program was founded in 1981, when employees decided to donate time and money to purchase toys and food for families in our service area. Other individuals including the Lumbee River EMC Board of Directors, organizations and local businesses help to make the program a success by donating time, money and supplies.
“There are many people and organizations that help us with this event,” Owens said. “I would especially like to thank the folks at Campbell’s Soup and Unilever for their help this year. These two organizations came through in a very big way at the last minute to make this year the huge success that it was.”
As Lumbee River EMC employees interact with their members throughout the year, they are able to help assess those families that could benefit from a gift of food and toys at Christmas time. Applications were accepted from October to late November from members, which are then reviewed by a committee of employees who evaluate each request based on need.
