Village of Hope wins local Touchstone Energy® Community Award

Bemidji, Minn. – Beltrami Electric Cooperative has selected Village of Hope as the winner of the local 2019 Touchstone Energy® Community Award from a pool of excellent and worthy nominations, according to Beltrami Electric's Marketing/Communications Specialist, Angela Lyseng.

Beltrami Electric sought candidates for the Touchstone Energy® Community Award, which recognizes organizations for outstanding contributions to the local community. Village of Hope was nominated by Riki Scheela of Bemidji. The recognition comes with a $500 cash award and an engraved Touchstone Energy® Community Award plaque signifying the organization's commitment to community.

Village of Hope is a non-profit organization which provides a 24-hour emergency shelter and supportive services for families experiencing homelessness. It is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and has evolved from a shelter that provides food and a bed to a shelter that identifies the root causes of homelessness and works collaboratively to break the cycle of homelessness.

The organization focuses on three outcomes: breaking the cycle of homelessness, acquisition of housing, and family stability.

The Village of Hope application will be submitted for consideration to the statewide Minnesota Touchstone Energy® Community Award committee. The statewide award recipient will be selected from numerous local award winners throughout Minnesota and the overall winner will receive $1,000 toward a community cause of choice. It will be presented in February 2020 during the Minnesota Rural Electric Association's annual meeting in St. Paul.