Wright-Hennepin Members Donate More Than $57,000 To Local Organizations

Rockford, Minn. (September 18, 2026) — Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association (WH) members who participate in Operation Round Up (ORU) donated grants totaling more than $57,000 in August. ORU has awarded more than $5.8 million to local organizations since it began in 1994.

Approximately 90% of WH’s members participate in the ORU program, allowing their electric bills to be rounded up to the next dollar. The rounded amount is then held in a trust fund. The ORU Board evaluates funding requests from local programs on a bimonthly basis.

Watch a video demonstrating the local impact of ORU at bit.ly/WH-ORU26.

The ORU trust board donated the following on behalf of WH members:

  • $10,000, Lutheran Social Service, Crisis Nursery, funds to support program personnel expenses, reimbursements for licensed nursery providers, and transportation expenses for families.
  • $9,390, True Friends, funds to purchase a brush mulcher cutter for the bobcat tractor.
  • $7,500, Wishes & More, funds to support wishes for local children who are diagnosed with a terminal or life-threatening condition.
  • $6,500, Community Toys for Tots, funds to support gifts for needy children at Christmas.
  • $5,000, Fraser, funds to support mental health services for autistic and neurodiverse individuals who are uninsured or underinsured.
  • $5,000, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, St. Andrew, Elk River Conference, funds to support local residents who are experiencing financial stress.
  • $5,000, The Drawer, funds to purchase socks and underwear for those in need.
  • $3,000, Cornerstone Women’s Center, funds to enhance security and communications and technology systems.
  • $3,000, Hammer Residences, Inc.,  funds for the Quality of Life Fund.
  • $1,500, Fishing Klinics for Kids,  funds to support family program to enjoy the great outdoors.
  • $800, Rejoice Lutheran Church, funds for backpack program for Clearwater Elementary school.
  • $500, Parenting with Purpose, funds to support programming.
  • $400, Buffalo Farmers Market, funds to support Power of Produce program.

Applications for the next round of funding are due October 1. Learn about the activities ORU supports and find the grant application by visiting whe.org/operation-round-up or emailing ORU Trust Administrator Lisa Zipp at oru@whe.org.

Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric utility that provides power to rural Wright County and western Hennepin County. The cooperative has been a corporate citizen to the area since 1937 and currently serves more than 61,000 electric accounts. It is headquartered in Rockford, Minn.

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