Two Starke County Organizations Receive Operation Round up Grants

Posted on July 21, 2017
Author Anita Goodan, WKVI

Two Starke County organizations have been awarded grant funds from the Kankakee Valley REMC Operation Round Up program.

Community Services of Starke County received $3,300 grant to help purchase a computer system that will better serve the organization’s needs and the needs of clients. The organization helps low-income, elderly and disabled citizens in Starke County. Community Services hosts a food pantry, senior activities, meal assistance, and transportation assistance.

The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum is the recipient of a $1,500 Operation Round Up grant. This funding will help museum volunteers make repairs to the asphalt in the handicapped parking lot after a water line leak caused significant damage in 2015. The museum is home to a vast array of railroad history in Starke County.

Operation Round Up has returned over $1 million to non-profit organizations in the community since 2000. Operation Round Up participants contribute an average of $6.00 per year when their electric bill is rounded up to the nearest dollar. Those funds are put into the grant program and managed by Kankakee Valley REMC members.