The Mille Lacs Community Trust Board meets quarterly to distribute funds raised through Operation Round Up. This September, the board awarded $20,500 in grants to local non-profit organizations including: Aitkin County CARE - Rides for Health, Aitkin County Environmental Services, Aitkin County Habitat for Humanity, Aitkin County Historical Society, Aitkin County Search and Rescue, Aitkin County Sentence to Serve, Aitkin Youth Fastpitch, Deerwood Lakes Lions, Lakes Area Interfaith Caregivers, Mille Lacs Health Systems Auxiliary, Minnewawa Sportsmen’s Club - MAC Bird Busters, and Reading Early Assists Development. The total amount of grants awarded since the start of Operation Round Up has reached an astounding $1,349,679!

Operation Round Up is a voluntary program at Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative where our generous members
round-up their electric bill payment to the nearest dollar. All of the funds raised go into the trust fund which is donated back to the community. Board members include: Lisa Anderson, Kim Waffensmith, Darlene Stigen, Bethany Sellers, Charles Schotzko, Linda Weimer, Jack Gilbertson, and Lowell W. Larson.

To receive a Trust application, contact Deb Chute at 218-927-8221 or 1-800-450-2191. The Trust Board meets the second Wednesday in March, June, September and December. Applications are accepted at any time. Those submitted a week before the quarterly meetings will go to the board. Anything submitted after will be seen at the next board meeting.

MLEC is a not-for-profit, electric distribution cooperative owned by the members we serve.  We provide service to over 13,000 members in parts of Aitkin, Crow Wing, and Mille Lacs counties. Our headquarters is located at 36559 US Highway 169, one mile east of Aitkin, MN.