LA PLATA, Md. (Dec. 20, 2008)—SMECO staff recently donated nearly $23,000 to the Southern Maryland Chapter of the Red Cross. Money was collected through several fund-raising efforts during the past year, including a charity golf tournament and food sales at the annual members meeting.
The Red Cross typically sees a slow down in donations—both financial and volunteer time—during the holidays, according to Mike Zabko, CEO of the local chapter.
"This year with the economic slowdown and the price of fuel and other commodities skyrocketing, people don’t have the extra dollars to donate," said Zabko. "We were very fortunate to have SMECO come through with a donation of nearly $23,000 to support our efforts. It’s like Santa was here and found that the Southern Maryland Chapter was good last year in helping many disaster victims in Southern Maryland."
Zabko said he hopes other companies will emulate the generosity that SMECO and its employees showed.
The American Red Cross is a charity and not a government agency. They depend on voluntary contributions of time, money, and blood from the citizens of Southern Maryland to perform its humanitarian mission, noted Zabko.