HCWA Celebrates Holidays with Charitable Assistance
Looking for ways to give back to the community it serves, the Henry County Water Authority (HCWA) has been in the full Holiday Spirit recently, evident in volunteer efforts by employees to support Meals on Wheels and the local Food Pantry, or customer contributions to the utility’s “Round Up” or Charitable Assistance Program.
Meals on Wheels, which is a Henry County Senior Services program, is one of many avenues of public outreach and charitable assistance supported by HCWA employees. Prior to the Thanksgiving Holiday, the staff of the HCWA Engineering Division volunteered their time and transportation to deliver over 40 meals via four separate routes throughout Henry County.
Meals on Wheels is a local program that provides hot, nutritious meals to senior adults who are temporarily or permanently home bound and unable to shop and cook for themselves. Meals are delivered mid-day by staff and volunteers, like the more than a dozen employees from HCWA.
“It was a pleasure to be able to volunteer for Meals on Wheels, and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the folks we were able to serve,” says Angie Cash, HCWA Engineering GIS Technician.
Each year, the HCWA Engineering Division looks for opportunities to gather as a team to serve and give back to the community, says Scott Sage, HCWA Engineering Division Manager.
“What a wonderful program and experience to be able to serve our neighbors who make up this great community,” says Sage. “I’m so proud and blessed to be part of an organization like Henry County Water whose employees so generously volunteer to serve their fellow citizens.”
Tammy Smith, Volunteer Coordinator for Henry County’s Meals on Wheels Program, says she appreciates the assistance that volunteers such as those from the HCWA provide.
“Everyone at Henry County Senior Services and Meals on Wheels would like to thank each and every one of the volunteers for an awesome job,” says Smith.
In addition to providing volunteers for Meals on Wheels, employees from the HCWA also assist the Food Pantry in Stockbridge with stocking and distributing donated can goods and household items.
The Authority’s Customer Service Representatives and Field Technicians – the very water professionals who assist residents and citizens every day with questions, concerns, or requests regarding their water or sewer services – have been volunteering every few months, as needs arise. These HCWA employees assist other volunteers in preparing food items to be distributed to families in Henry County, in addition to collecting and donating hygiene items, pet products, plastic grocery bags, and more – all items those seeking help from the Food Pantry need very much.
“Giving back to the community has been a great experience, and everyone who has volunteered has found it to be both rewarding and fulfilling,” says Rhonda Dodgen, HCWA Customer Service Manager.
The HCWA also collects donations from its customers for the utility’s “Round Up” or Charitable Assistance Program (CAP). The most recent contributions from HCWA customers – which were collected throughout the year and dispersed in November – totaled $8,000. That money will go toward assisting fellow Henry County customers who qualify, based on the merit of their economic hardship, with payments of their utility bills.
This year marks the third anniversary of the Authority’s CAP, which was a program initiated by HCWA District 5 Board Member Carlotta Harrell. According to Authority officials, HCWA customers have donated more than $25,000 to the CAP to date, reflecting their tremendous generosity, especially during the Holiday Season.
The HCWA partners with Samaritans Together of Henry County, Inc. to administer the program and facilitate the disbursement of the charitable contributions. Neither the Authority nor Samaritans Together collect or charge any administrative fees to oversee the program, so 100% of HCWA customer donations go directly to financial assistance.
For more information on the HCWA Charitable Assistance Program, as well as other means of the Authority’s public outreach initiatives, citizens can log onto the utility’s website at www.hcwa.com.
Media contact:
Chris Wood, Ph.D.
Phone: 770-757-1681
Email: chris@jwapr.com