VALDOSTA – The League of Southeastern Credit Unions & Affiliates (LSCU) and the Southeastern Credit Union Foundation (SECUF) offered recovery and rebuilding efforts across South Georgia and North Florida after the wake of Hurricane Idalia.

Team members made supply deliveries and distributed them to communities impacted from the storm, according to a press release Wednesday. More than 2,000 credit union branches and offices were also impacted by the massive storm’s effect.

“Starting the day after Idalia made landfall, LSCU team members have made a half-dozen visits to hard-hit credit unions in the Perry and Valdosta areas. Thanks to the generosity of SECUF supporters, LSCU staff was able to deliver nearly 30 generators, countless gas cans, and numerous power cords, as well as dozens of cases of bottled water and truckloads of non-perishable food and essential items to the employees and volunteers of impacted credit unions,” the release said.

The team also purchased and shared a spread of hot Sonny’s BBQ to credit union staff in Perry on Friday. The release said many of recipients were overjoyed to receive a hot meal amid the devastation wrought by the storm.

“We hold fast to the credit union mantra of ‘people helping people’ in everything we do, but it’s in moments like these that those words really come to life and fuel our movement,” Samantha Beeler, the President of LSCU, said.

Beeler visited Perry-area credit union staff yesterday. “I am tremendously grateful for the generosity of our supporters and to our staff members who have helped deliver generators, water, and other critical items to credit union teams in their hour of need, and I continue to be inspired by the tenacity and resiliency of our credit unions. Know that LSCU is here for you, and that credit unions are the heartbeat of our communities.”

But the organizations’ work isn’t done yet.

The Southeastern Credit Union Foundation recently established disaster relief funds for credit union staff and volunteers who require further assistance. The funds include necessities like food, water, shelter, and provides support for both immediate and long-term recovery.

The release said a grant portal for credit unions impacted by Hurricane Idalia opened on Friday, September 1, and numerous applications have already been received.

“The Southeastern Credit Union Foundation is honored to provide disaster relief assistance, either through direct deliveries of generators and essential items or through grant funding, to our credit unions and their staff impacted by storms like Hurricane Idalia,” Bobbi Grady, the director of the Foundation, said. “We are incredibly grateful to our supporters from across the southeast and beyond for their generosity that allows us to make a significant impact on the lives and livelihoods of our credit unions, their team members, and the communities they serve, especially when they need us most.”

The organizations urge credit unions to contact them for any guidance or assistance they may require so they can get back to doing what they do best – serving their communities.

Numerous impacted credit unions have already applied for grant assistance, the release said. The teams anticipate more to apply in the near future.

Anyone interested in helping the LSCU and SECUF outreach efforts can make donations to our disaster relief efforts here.