December 2021 | Volume 83 | Issue 12
Hunger Relief Grants Awarded to Northland Food Pantries
Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative distributed eight Hunger Relief Grants to Northland area food pantries starting in November to prevent families in need from going hungry this holiday season.
Platte-Clay’s Hunger Relief program aims to counteract those declines so food pantries have the resources they need to continue serving Northland families.
Benefiting organizations include: Kearney Food Pantry, Good Samaritan Center of Excelsior Springs, Lawson Food Pantry, Lathrop Food Pantry, Smithville Food Pantry, Plattsburg Food Pantry, Platte County R-3 School District Treasure Chest Program, Weston Rotary Club, Cameron Food Pantry, Community Food Network of Dearbon and Community Action Agency of Greater Kansas City located in Tracy.
Concern for Community is one the Seven Cooperative Principles that guides Platte-Clay’s decisions as an organization. PCEC’s commitment to community runs year-round and includes supporting nonprofits and providing volunteers to assist with a wide variety of causes.
No Rate Increase Planned For Co-op Consumer-Members in Next Year
Dave Deihl, General Manager
From the General Manager
As prices for everyday products continue to rise, there’s no greater daily value than the low cost of cooperative-provided electricity. Even as inflation sets in across the country, that value will hold strong in 2022 as the cooperative does not anticipate any rate increases for the next year.
Our ability as a cooperative to keep rates low speaks to the long-term planning we do to keep our organization running smoothly. It takes the efforts of every department here at the co-op, from Finance and Accounting to Engineering, to keep us moving in the right direction for our consumer-members. We’re proud of the fact that we haven’t had any rate increases in the past five years.
Although supply chain disruptions remain a concern in the electrical equipment industry, we have been able to build up inventory for items that are essential to providing electric service.
Our strong relationship with Arkansas Electric Cooperative, which manages our warehouse, has proven to be valuable in ensuring we can continue to provide needed services across the Northland.
Our cooperative business model keeps our costs low through collaborative planning with our partner cooperatives, Northwest Electric Power Cooperative in Cameron and Associated Electric Cooperative in Springfield.Since each organization in our three-tiered cooperative system is not-for-profit, all three have an incentive to keep expenses low and provide credits back to their members on a yearly basis.
A diversified energy mix has also proven important to keeping costs low. Having flexible generation sources allows for strategic shifts when fuel prices change, including the cost increases in natural gas we’ve seen throughout the United States in recent months.
A mix of different types of energy generation facilities also helps to keep our power supply reliable, even in extreme weather conditions.
Having reliable electric service can be life-or-death in the cold temperatures of a Missouri winter. February’s cold snap showed just how real this scenario can be, and we were proud to be able to keep the lights on throughout that weather event.
Long-term financial forecasting and planning has kept PCEC in a good position to keep rates low while returning capital credits to our consumer-members every year. As a cooperative, our only priority is providing top-notch service to our members, and we’re thrilled to be able to do that for another year without increasing the cost of the energy you see on your monthly bills.
As we approach the holidays, we are grateful for each and every one of our consumer-members for supporting us through yet another year. From our family to yours, have a safe and restful holiday season.
Platte-Clay Annual Kids Safety Poster Contest Winners Announced
Platte-Clay Electric is excited to announce the winners of its 2nd annual Electrical Safety Poster contest, which was open to 3rd graders in the local communities. This year’s poster theme was “How do I stay safe around electricity?” PCEC continually tries to find ways to increase awareness of electrical safety to students. Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to all the artists who submitted their creative safety messages!
Left: Teddie Moore, Platte City. Middle: Addison Mohn, Kearney. Right: Troy Fritz, Kearney.
Left: Danielle Bolden, Smithville. Right: Preslee Sullard, Lawson.
Local Teachers Awarded Amazon Gift Card For Classrooms
Three Northland teachers were awarded $100 Amazon gift cards by Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative to use for their classrooms. All three were selected based on their classes’ participation in this year’s Kids Electrical Safety Poster Contest sponsored by PCEC.
Leslie Brennan, Hawthorne Elementary (Kearney).
Left: Kathryn Mays, Maple Elementary (Smithville). Right: Sara Alshouse, Dogwood Elementary (Kearney).
Wall Calendars and Planners Now Available at PCEC
Free 2022 wall calendars and planners are available for PCEC members to pick up at the co-op’s Platte City and Kearney offices. The calendars are usually provided to members who attend the December Open House event, which was cancelled this year again due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns.
The Northland Connection is published monthly by Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative, Inc., 1000 W. 92 Highway, Kearney, MO 64060. Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Northland Connection, PO Box 100, Kearney, MO 64060 or mail@pcec.coop.
Platte-Clay is an equal opportunity employer.