SMECO Donates $65,000 to Southern Maryland Charity
Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative employees raised the funds through a charity golf tournament for the Southern Maryland Tri-County Community Action Committee.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Philanthropy
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Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative has donated $65,000 to the Southern Maryland Tri-County Community Action Committee, funds raised by SMECO employees through the Charity Golf Tournament. The gift supports a regional anti-poverty agency that serves Southern Maryland residents.
Why it matters
The donation supports a community action agency that administers housing, energy assistance and bill-relief programs across Southern Maryland. It reflects a continuing pattern of employee-driven giving by the electric cooperative to local organizations in its service area.
SMECO employee fundraisers have contributed more than $730,000 to local organizations over 14 years, and this $65,000 gift adds to that total. The agency serves approximately 27,000 households and benefits nearly 80,000 individuals across Southern Maryland.
The players
Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO)
SMECO is a member-owned electric cooperative incorporated in 1937 that serves Charles, St. Mary's and southern Prince George's counties and most of Calvert County in Maryland.
Southern Maryland Tri-County Community Action Committee (SMTCCAC)
SMTCCAC is a community action agency founded in 1965 that administers housing, energy assistance and bill-relief programs across Southern Maryland.
The details
SMECO employees raised the money through the Charity Golf Tournament and presented it to the Southern Maryland Tri-County Community Action Committee, which was founded in 1965. The agency administers about 300 affordable rental housing units and Maryland's Office of Home Energy Programs in Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's counties, and runs the Members Helping Members program in partnership with SMECO.
Timeline
1937: SMECO was incorporated.
1965: The Southern Maryland Tri-County Community Action Committee was founded.
Over the last 14 years: SMECO employee fundraisers contributed more than $730,000 to local organizations.
November 4, 2026: The donation was announced.
Philanthropy Landscape
Community action agencies like the Southern Maryland Tri-County Community Action Committee were created under the federal Community Services Block Grant framework to deliver local anti-poverty services. Private donations from utilities and their employees increasingly supplement such agency budgets for housing and energy-assistance programs.
Eligible SMECO members can add a monthly donation to the Members Helping Members program through a signup form on their electric bill. The program pays bill assistance through the community action agency for households facing energy costs.
The takeaway
Employee-driven fundraising can add up to large, sustained support for local safety-net services over time. Members of cooperatives and utilities can also contribute directly through monthly bill donations.
Further reading
Explore more Philanthropy coverage to see how regional organizations channel corporate and employee giving.
More information
Members can sign up through the Members Helping Members bill assistance signup form on SMECO's website.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Lexington Park Leader.
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