Great River Energy donates $100,000 to flood relief efforts in North Dakota
In response to widespread flooding across North Dakota, Great River Energy is donating $100,000 to support flood relief efforts in Bismarck and Minot and the surrounding area.
The donation will include $50,000 to the North Dakota Community Foundation Flood Relief Fund and $50,000 to the Minot Area Community Foundation Flood Relief Fund. The donations will help support flood relief efforts for Bismarck and Minot and the surrounding area.
“Flooding has impacted many of our employees, families, friends and neighbors in the communities in which we operate,” said David Saggau, President and CEO. “We want to do what we can to help those affected by the floodwaters.”
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Aerial view of the Missouri River in the Bismarck-Mandan, North Dakota area. Taken from a North Dakota National Guard Black Hawk helicopter on July 19, 2011. (Photo by Sgt 1st Class Steve Urlacher, N.D. National Guard Visual Information) |
Great River will continue to provide flood assistance in other ways including paid time off for employees to help with flood disaster relief, preparedness, public safety efforts and the threat to employees’ homes. Employees are eligible for up to 32 hours of paid time off through August 15 to aid in the flood fight. Thus far, employees have worked 1,220.5 hours (equivalent to more than fifty 24-hour days) in flood assistance efforts, in addition to untold hours that they have donated on their own time.
Great River Energy also donated more than 600 one-ton sandbags and hundreds of pallets for storage and transportation of sandbags at areas affected by the flood. Other assistance has included donations to the Salvation Army and Red Cross to support flood fighting efforts. Great River Energy is also planning to conduct employee flood cleanup days this summer and fall in the flood impacted areas.
Great River Energy, Maple Grove, Minn., is a not-for-profit cooperative which provides wholesale electric service to 28 distribution cooperatives in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Through its social responsibility efforts, Great River Energy is committed to supporting the communities in which it operates --- it is the essence of being a cooperative. Great River Energy’s operations in North Dakota include Coal Creek Station, Underwood, Stanton Station, Stanton, Spiritwood Station, under construction just east of Jamestown, and an office in Bismarck, N.Dak.
