Vol76-6 June 2026
Member newsletter for Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative
Letter from the President and Chairman of the Board • Improving efficiency, reliability, and customer service while reducing costs • Caring for the community • Financials • SOS tracker • Community calendar
Caring for the community
While managing rising costs remains a priority, the cooperative’s commitment to the communities we serve is just as strong. Over the past year, SMECO has invested in Southern Maryland through employee volunteerism, charitable donations, scholarships, and support for local organizations and events. The cooperative is proud to support initiatives that promote education, economic development, and overall quality of life. These efforts reflect our core belief that a strong cooperative is built not only on service, but on active involvement and lasting community impact.
Cooperative employees volunteered to prepare Snack Saks for local schools.
When school meal programs pause for weekends and holidays, many children face food insecurity. The Southern Maryland Food Bank’s Snack Saks program helps bridge this gap in Charles and St. Mary’s counties by partnering with local schools throughout the academic year.
Each week, backpacks filled with nutritious, ready-to-eat snacks are delivered to 17 schools and discreetly distributed by staff, ensuring students receive support with dignity.
In 2025, SMECO partnered with the Food Bank to assemble more than 350 Snack Saks for local students. As part of her Co-op Month Project,
Employees assemble Snack Saks.
2025 Youth Tour delegate representing SMECO Evelyn McCauley also engaged her senior class in writing handwritten notes for each bag and volunteered at the packing event, helping bring the effort to life.
SMECO supported local schools with annual supply donations.
For more than 30 years, SMECO has supported local students by providing essential school supplies to those in need across Southern Maryland. Working with Student Services Directors in Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties, priority needs are identified each year to ensure resources have the greatest impact.
Team delivers donations for Charles County schools.
SMECO then purchases and delivers supplies directly to school districts and select schools, helping students start the year prepared. This year, St. Mary’s County directed support to five high-need schools, Calvert County assembled 300 hygiene kits, and Charles County received headphones and scientific calculators.
Through this effort, SMECO continues to support student success and strengthen the communities it serves.
SMECO employees help local high schools with mock interviews.
Each year, cooperative employees volunteer with Charles County high schools to conduct mock interviews, helping seniors prepare for college and the workforce. Students present portfolios and practice interview skills, while volunteers offer feedback and real-world insight.
Community partnerships like these are crucial in building a strong future for Southern Maryland. In addition to these efforts, the cooperative also:
- Delivered 2,265 pounds of food to the Southern Maryland Food Bank thanks to donations by SMECO employees.
- Held a fund-raiser and donated $63,000 to three shelters serving Southern Maryland: Lifestyles of Maryland, Inc.—Robert J. Fuller Transitional House of Charles County, Project Echo, Inc. of Calvert County, and Three Oaks Center of St. Mary’s County.
2025 Food Bank donation
- Hosted the 31st annual regional MATHCOUNTS® competition.
- Received a $12,000 contribution from CoBank to award to local organizations that SMECO supported with matching funds: Our Place Waldorf Soup Kitchen, St. Mary’s Caring Soup Kitchen, End Hunger in Calvert County/Community Harvest Network, and Clements Cuties Foundation.
- Awarded four scholarships to high school students who live in the cooperative’s service area; bringing the total number of scholarships awarded since 1993 to 132.
- Contributed more than $196,000 over 225 separate local organizations that serve the community for children and youth, civic and community development, arts and culture, education, the environment, and health and welfare.
- Hosted the elementary math challenge, where more than 800 local elementary students tested their math knowledge.
- Contributed more than $134,000 to the Southern Maryland Tri-County Community Action Committee through the Members Helping Members program, offering assistance to members facing difficulty paying their utility bills. The funds are made possible by generous donations from cooperative members.
- Sponsored four local high school students to attend the NRECA Youth
Tour in Washington, D.C.
SMECO has a big system and finite resources—and we do a lot with a little by maximizing resources wherever possible. These efforts and more reflect the cooperative’s continued commitment to serving and strengthening Southern Maryland.
