A letter to the editor recently questioned Cullman Electric Cooperative’s motives behind our Community Cupboard initiative. While we welcome open dialogue, it’s important that our members and neighbors have the facts.
The Community Cupboards were not created as a publicity effort but out of compassion and a genuine desire to help address food insecurity in our communities. These pantries provide immediate, no-barrier access to food and essential items — no paperwork, no questions asked. They exist to serve those who may not qualify for traditional assistance programs but still face tough moments between paychecks or during emergencies.
Cullman Electric funded the construction, installation and ongoing maintenance of each Community Cupboard at our Cullman and Addison offices. In fact, the “boxes” are old electrical boxes that were going to be thrown away, and the support beams were donated by a local business, Rustic Lodge Works in Hanceville. Our cooperative and donations from our employees also financially support and provide items to keep the shelves stocked each week, ensuring these resources remain available to anyone in need. We’ve simply invited community members to join us in this effort if they are able because cooperative spirit is rooted in neighbors helping neighbors. The goal has never been to shift responsibility, but to multiply impact through shared generosity.
As a not-for-profit cooperative, every dollar we collect from members goes toward maintaining reliable service and improving infrastructure. Rate changes are driven primarily by factors outside our control, including wholesale power costs from the Tennessee Valley Authority, inflation in materials and national supply chain pressures. What remains within our control is how we serve our community, and we choose to act with compassion and purpose.
The Community Cupboards are one small example of that commitment, alongside our continued support for local schools, scholarships, safety education programs and broadband expansion through Sprout Fiber Internet.
Our members deserve the truth: Cullman Electric isn’t pretending to care. We’ve been serving, supporting and investing in this community since 1936 and that’s something no opinion can change.
Cullman Electric Cooperative
Editor’s note: This Letter to the Editor is in response to one that was published Feb. 27, 2026: www.cullmantribune.com/2026/02/27/letter-to-the-editor-cullman-electric-cooperatives-food-pantries-arent-corporate-responsibility
