Four charitable organizations were each awarded a $7,500 “Sharing Success” grant by Cuivre River Electric Cooperative (CREC) and CoBank. The recipients of the 2026 grants are the Pike County Sheltered Workshop, Warren County Pathfinders, Youth in Need - Lincoln County, and Youth in Need – St. Charles County.

“We've always believed that cooperatives exist to lift their communities," says Diane Saale, CREC Board President. "Partnering with CoBank allows us to live out this mission by funding local charitable organizations that deliver essential support where it's needed most.”

“Sharing Success” is a matching grant program created by CoBank in 2012. The cooperative bank partners with its customers, like CREC, to support the causes and organizations they care about. CoBank customers can apply for matching grants each year. CREC awarded $3,750 to each recipient this year, and CoBank matched the funds. A total of $7,500 went to each of these organizations:

• Pike County Sheltered Workshop, founded in 1967, provides productive employment opportunities to mentally and physically challenged individuals, including recycling services for Pike County and assembly and fulfillment services for companies. As part of the workshop, they also own a resale store. For more information, call (573) 324-2205.
• Warren County Pathfinders, founded in 1986, is dedicated to serving individuals with developmental disabilities in Warren County through personalized programs, inclusive care, and community-based services. Learn more https://warrencountypathfinders.org/ or call (636) 456-7518.
• Youth in Need/St. Charles County and Youth in Need/Lincoln County. Since 1974, Youth in Need has offered hope to countless children, teens, and families across eastern Missouri. The organization offers more than 50 life-changing programs. From an emergency youth shelter and transitional living for older youth to homeless outreach, counseling, education, and early childhood development, Youth in Need serves more than 9,000 individuals each year at nearly 100 locations across six counties, including St. Charles and Lincoln counties. “Chief Development Officer Rob Muschany said, “This kind of community support from CREC and CoBank at the county level for both St. Charles and Lincoln County has such a huge impact at the programmatic level. Both counties provide early learning programs for the youngest kiddos, counseling for school-age youth, and housing services for older youth.” Visit https://www.youthinneed.org/ or call Youth in Need/Lincoln County at (636) 462-6061 or St. Charles County at (636) 946-5600.

Since 2012, CREC and CoBank have awarded a total of $260,000 to organizations selected by CREC (inclusive of this year’s grants). Organizations receiving support have included Anne’s Anchor, TREE House of Greater St. Louis, The Key Youth Center, Bridge of Hope, Volunteers in Medicine, St. Charles Community College Foundation, Agape Food Pantry, and Our Lady’s Inn. CREC’s board of directors jointly decides which organizations will receive the “Sharing Success” grants.