Manager’s Message – October 2021

Celebrate National Co-op Month

Annie Terracciano headshotOctober is the month to celebrate the benefits cooperatives bring to our communities. Whether the focus is food, child care, insurance, electricity, or some other service, all cooperatives exist to help serve a need in the communities we live in.

Cooperatives are unique because we are not-for-profit, democratically controlled, and member-owned. The cooperative business model is about meeting the needs of the people, not about maximizing profits.

In the U.S., there are more than 900 electric co-ops that serve an estimated 42 million people. At Northern Lights, Inc. (NLI), we have more than 18,000 members and more than 2,800 miles of distribution lines that serve members in Northern Idaho, Eastern Washington, and Western Montana.

NLI is overseen by a 7-member board of directors, each elected by members of the district they represent. Our power comes from the Bonneville Power Administration and our own dam on a tributary of the Kootenai River, which NLI distributes to its members’ homes and businesses.

One way NLI serves its community is through Operation Roundup, where members can choose to round up their monthly energy bill to the nearest dollar to help families in need. Members also can choose to donate to the Helping Hand program, which is specifically designed to help struggling members with their power bills, or Project Share, which provides home heating assistance. If you would like to participate in any of these programs, please contact us to sign up.

Summer has come to an end. The leaves are changing and autumn is upon us. With the cooler weather comes a change of pace that allows for more time to be home with our families, enjoying one another, eating good food, and being thankful for all we have in our lives.

Happy Fall!

Annie Terracciano
General Manager