Mid-Rivers Donation Provides a Holiday Meal, CoBank Matches Gift

Mid-Rivers Communications recently made a $1000 donation to Action for Eastern Montana. This donation will be used to assist families in the Mid-Rivers and Action for Eastern Montana service areas in purchasing a holiday meal.

"Mid-Rivers feels it is important that families have an opportunity to enjoy a meal for the Holiday season, and we are happy to contribute to that cause," stated Bill Wade, Mid-Rivers' General Manager.

Mid-Rivers makes this donation using money that would otherwise be used to send Holiday greeting cards. Several years ago, Mid-Rivers decided that this money would be better used to assist area families with purchasing a Holiday meal. Action for Eastern Montana distributes the money to needy families as a gift certificate, which the families may use to shop at local grocery stores for ingredients needed to make a Holiday meal.

"The families are always so grateful for this donation, to have the opportunity to provide a nice meal for their family," said Action for Eastern Montana Executive Director Brian Steffen. "We always receive several cards of gratitude."

The Mid-Rivers donation to Action for Eastern Montana will also be matched with another $1000 from CoBank, a nationwide cooperative bank, through their Sharing Success Grant Program. This is the second year that CoBank has offered this grant opportunity. Mid-Rivers applied for the matching grant on behalf of Action for Eastern Montana.

"CoBank is very pleased to assist Mid-Rivers and Action for Eastern Montana in providing holiday meals for disadvantaged families throughout Mid-Rivers service area," stated Lennie Blakeslee, a CoBank Vice President.

Action for Eastern Montana is a non-profit community action agency dedicated to assisting individuals and families toward self-sufficiency in 17 counties in Eastern Montana.

Mid-Rivers is a telecommunications cooperative providing local telephone, long distance, cellular, Internet and cable television services to a 30,000 square mile area in 21 counties of Eastern Montana and three counties in North Dakota.