Media Release provided by City of Stillwater

Thanks to the partnership between the City of Stillwater and its wholesale electricity supplier, the Grand River Dam Authority, winter will be much warmer for many in the community.

Through its community support program, GRDA provided Stillwater with $10,000. Those funds were then used by the city to purchase winter coats, hats and more for residents in need. The winter wear was given to the residents of Mission of Hope, Wings of Hope and the Payne County Youth Shelter. Stillwater Public Schools also received a number of coats for its students.

According to Stillwater City Manager Norman McNickle, “GRDA has been an active member of the Stillwater community for a long time, and we appreciate their community-minded spirit, especially this time of the year.” GRDA and Stillwater have been public power partners since 1987.

“We are pleased that our partnership with Stillwater allows us to provide this kind of community support,” said GRDA President/CEO Dan Sullivan. “It comes at an important time, as the pandemic made 2020 a hard year for many people.”

Upon receiving the grant, City of Stillwater staff went shopping at numerous local stores that carried winter garments. McNickle said, “It was important for us to shop locally and support our neighbors. In the end, we believe that we purchased enough items to keep over 300 people warm this winter. We really appreciate how GRDA made this possible.”

In addition to participating in this community outreach, the City of Stillwater has been helping residents who need assistance due the pandemic by setting moratoriums on utility disconnects, setting up payment programs, and in December the Stillwater City Council appropriated $150,000 from the CARES Act funding to assist citizens who are having a hard time making utilities, rent or mortgage payments due to direct results of COVID-19.