Photo caption: Since 1998, Operation Round Up has awarded thousands of community grants to local organizations. Among the most recent recipients is Athens Area Diaper Bank, which provides diapers to low-income families. From left: Walton Electric Trust Board member Cindy Haddon; Athens Area Diaper Bank Director of Development Kelsey Ripley, Executive Director Erin Campbell and Operations Manager Shona Foster; and Walton Electric Trust Board member Penny Warren.
MONROE, Ga. (Oct. 1, 2026) – Walton EMC customer-owners are celebrating an important milestone in generosity. The electric cooperative’s membership recently exceeded $10 million in donations collected from spare change to support meaningful programs and projects in area communities.
Through the Operation Round Up program, participating co-op members “round up” their monthly electric bill to the nearest dollar, with the extra cents being pooled in a special fund. The collected donations are distributed as financial assistance to nonprofit organizations, community projects and qualifying individuals within the co-op’s 10-county service area.
“This program’s success is an expression of our cooperative’s core value of caring for the community,” said Walton EMC President/CEO Ron Marshall. “Our customer-owners have demonstrated the power of coming together for good.”
Since 1998, Operation Round Up has awarded more than 1,000 community grants to local organizations, such as:
- Across The Bridge to serve individuals recovering from addiction and other life-changing circumstances.
- Athens Area Diaper Bank to provide diapers to low-income families.
- Because One Matters to support children in the foster care system with resources and confidence-building experiences.
Grant applications are reviewed and approved by the Walton Electric Trust Board, a group of Walton EMC board-appointed volunteers representing every district of the cooperative.
More than 76,000 Walton EMC customer-owners participate in Operation Round Up. Annual donations range from just 12 cents to a maximum of $11.88 per participating member.
“One person’s pennies may not seem like a lot. But when you put together the contributions of thousands of co-op members, it adds up to something pretty remarkable,” said Walton Electric Trust Board member Cindy Haddon. “Thank you to every fellow co-op member who has participated in this program.”
Walton EMC covers all administrative costs, ensuring that 100% of every donation goes back into the community.
Learn more about Operation Round Up atwaltonemc.com/community/operation-round-up.
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