Dakota Electric members donate to Helping Neighbors ®

Every year, Dakota Electric's Helping Neighbors® trust provides more than $25,000 to three local agencies that help consumers with financial hardships pay past utility bills. The money for the trust comes from the generous donations of the Dakota Electric members. (See the bottom of the page to sign up.)

Would you recognize someone in need?

Perhaps nobody knows more about the hardships of local families and individuals than the people who assist them in times of need. Mary Sullivan and Joan Lynch from the CAP Agency, Mike McGlone from the Salvation Army and Mary Ajax from Community Action Council share their perspectives on the current economic situation in the Twin Cities.

Community Action Council Testimonial

The Helping Neighbors program fills a gap not met by various government programs, Mary Sullivan explained. With Helping Neighbors dollars, the agencies are able to offer help to families that are just above the income level to qualify for other types of financial assistance. Helping Neighbors offers “the flexibility to be able to put [financial assistance] packages together for people,” she said.

“We have a lot of families that are struggling,” said Mike McGlone. “It's not unusual now to have a $1,200 auto repair bill. That's three months' utility bills [that might go unpaid because of the auto repair bill].”

Mary Ajax said her agency is seeing young families where one parent has been laid off from a job. When the job search stretches on and on, the family can be in deep financial trouble by the time they approach a social service agency for help. “They're not used to asking for help,” she said. “They're used to solving their own problems.” Helping NeighborsCommunity Action Council staff and volunteers offered the following personal stories.

‘Harold,' a hard-working union pipe fitter for more than 37 years, was laid off. Harold was embarrassed to come to Community Action Council but he was afraid he could not pay his utility bills. His age, along with his limited skills, made it nearly impossible to find employment.

Community Action Council, with the help of Dakota Electric's Helping Neighbors trust, helped Harold bring his electric and gas bills up to date. We also spent some time listening to his frustrations and fears. He had tears in his eyes as he left the office. He felt he had people who cared about his situation and were willing to listen. That, in itself, meant a lot to him. He has worked hard for many years and paid his dues. It was a pleasure to assist him and let him know there are people in the community who care.

Another client had just been laid off from her job with an airline and her husband's job just covered basic living expenses. The family started to get behind on bills and was in danger of losing their home. With the assistance of Helping Neighbors, we were able to put a package together to get the family back on track. A year later, the airline called the client back to work. Without Helping Neighbors, the family was in real danger of losing their home and the four kids would have had to change schools in the middle of the school year.”

Helping Neighbors is a trust, established by Dakota Electric in 1994, that directs members' voluntary contributions to local charitable agencies to help pay utility bills for families and individuals in need. Since its inception, the program has donated more than $239,000 to local charitable agencies.

These agencies report that money provided by the Helping Neighbors program often helps the working poor or families in crisis due to medical or other emergencies. Before using Helping Neighbors funds, the agencies determine that other avenues for assistance, such as Dakota County energy assistance and emergency funds, have been exhausted.

Contribute through a monthly pledge on your electric bill or by a one-time donation. Either way, donations are tax deductible. You may cancel the pledge at any time by contacting us.

Sign up for Helping Neighbors® today

• To establish a monthly contribution, to be added to your monthly electric bill, click to complete and submit the online Helping Neighbors Enrollment Form.
• If you would rather mail your enrollment, complete the online form and print it out (do not submit). Mail to:
  
  Dakota Electric Association
  ATTN: Customer Service
  4300 220th Street
  Farmington, MN 55024
  
  
• To make a one-time contribution, complete the online enrollment form (do not submit), print out, enclose your check payable to Helping Neighbors and mail to Dakota Electric Association, 4300 220th Street West, Farmington, MN 55024.

Questions? Call our customer service center at 651-463-6212 or 1-800-874-3409 e-mail customerservice@dakotaelectric.com.