TALLAHASSEE, Fla.–The League of Southeastern Credit Unions and the Southeastern Credit Union Foundation (SECUF) are offering an update after visiting areas Florida’s Big Bend Region and South Georgia that were affected by Hurricane Idalia.
In all, more than 2,000 credit union branches and offices were affected by the massive storm, and nearly all escaped with no damage, according to the organizations. For those hit hardest by Idalia, LSCU and SECUF said they have begun delivering direct assistance to help them recover and rebuild.
“Starting the day after Idalia made landfall, LSCU team members have made a half-dozen visits to hard-hit credit unions in the Perry and Valdosta areas,” the organizations said. “Thanks to the generosity of SECUF supporters, LSCU staff was able to deliver nearly 30 generators, countless gas cans, and numerous power cords, as well as dozens of cases of bottled water and truckloads of non-perishable food and essential items to the employees and volunteers of impacted credit unions.”
In addition, LSCU team members brought a spread of hot Sonny’s BBQ to credit union staff in Perry on Friday, many of whom were overjoyed to receive a hot meal amid the devastation wrought by the storm, the league added.
Holding Fast to the Mantra
"We hold fast to the credit union mantra of people helping people in everything we do, but it’s in moments like these that those words really come to life and fuel our movement,” Samantha Beeler, the president of LSCU who visited Perry-area credit union staff, said in a statement. “I am tremendously grateful for the generosity of our supporters and to our staff members who have helped deliver generators, water, and other critical items to credit union teams in their hour of need, and I continue to be inspired by the tenacity and resiliency of our credit unions. Know that LSCU is here for you, and that credit unions are the heartbeat of our communities.”
SECUF has established disaster relief funds for credit union staff and volunteers who require further assistance. According to the league, the funds encompass necessities like food, water, shelter, and more, providing support for both immediate and long-term recovery. The grant portal for credit unions impacted by Hurricane Idalia opened on Friday, September 1, and numerous applications have already been received.
‘Incredibly Grateful’
"The Southeastern Credit Union Foundation is honored to provide disaster relief assistance, either through direct deliveries of generators and essential items or through grant funding, to our credit unions and their staff impacted by storms like Hurricane Idalia,” Bobbi Grady, director of the foundation, said in a statement. “We are incredibly grateful to our supporters from across the southeast and beyond for their generosity that allows us to make a significant impact on the lives and livelihoods of our credit unions, their team members, and the communities they serve, especially when they need us most."
Additional information is available here.
Are You Being Gouged for Bank-Like Subscription Fees for Old News? Here’s a CU-Like Way to Fix That
The biggest, best and freshest news reporting in credit unions remains free! Each morning CUToday.info delivers its daily Fresh Today news update offering the latest headlines and breaking news right to your email, with the easy-to-read headlines format allowing you to click on the stories that interest you most in order to learn more. So stop paying those bank-fee-like subscription prices from other so-called “news”” publications!
If you haven’t yet signed up for the new email solution on which CUToday.info has partnered with ResponseGenius, you can do so here. Signing up requires less than one minute of your time—and it’s free!
Please note that after signing up you may need to go to your Spam/Junk folder and mark the morning headlines email as safe. CUToday.info does not provide its list of readers and emails to outside parties, and we will not be contacting you to sell you an extended warranty or sending you any links so you may cash in on an inheritance you didn’t know was coming.
And did we mention it’s free?