From sawdust to sweet dreams

Duck River Electric employees joined hundreds of cooperative employees across Tennessee on Thursday, Oct. 15, to participate in the 2026 Tennessee Electric Cooperative Day of Service, helping celebrate the event’s 10-year milestone.

“Electric co-ops do more than provide electricity,” said Chief Administrative Officer Gregg Morrell. “We invest in the people and places we serve. When we learned that children in our communities were sleeping without a bed — and that some had never had a bed of their own — how could we not get involved? Every child deserves, at a minimum, a clean, safe and comfortable bed. Partnering with Sleep in Heavenly Peace gave us an opportunity to help meet that basic need while supporting an organization whose care for our communities reflects our own.”

A team of 26 DREMC employees volunteered a total of 72 hours to support Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a nonprofit organization that improves the lives of children who are sleeping on floors, couches, air mattresses or sharing beds with parents or siblings.

Working alongside volunteers from SHP’s Bedford County chapter, DREMC employees sanded and stained 60 twin-size beds that had been built by other volunteers. Once finished, employees delivered three of the completed beds to a local family, giving volunteers an opportunity to see the impact of their efforts firsthand.

The project left a lasting impression on the Duck River Electric volunteers.

When Chapel Hill Senior Working Foreman Taylor Gentry was asked whether he would participate in future service projects benefiting local children, his answer was immediate. “Yes, I’d be there tomorrow.”

“Today has been the best day serving our community and working with our fellow employees at Duck River,” said Member Service Representative Lisa Hobby. “It really touches our hearts that we can do this. It makes a huge difference and is a great commitment to our community.”

“I love community, serving community,” said Bedford County SHP Chapter President Madeline Fontenot. “For me, it is special to know we live in such a wonderful community that is willing to step up and help. Sweat and sawdust are just a bonus to the sweet feeling of knowing we have made a difference.”

“We are truly humbled to serve some of the most vulnerable members of our community through Sleep in Heavenly Peace,” said DREMC’s Member and Community Engagement Liaison Nathan Taylor. “And we are grateful for the opportunity to support its mission of ensuring that no child sleeps on the floor.”

Taylor adds that participating in the 2026 Tennessee Electric Cooperative Day of Service was an incredible opportunity for our employees to come together and make a meaningful difference beyond the work we do each day.

“This experience gave our team a tangible way to live out our cooperative commitment to community, and it was especially meaningful to know our efforts will help provide safe, comfortable beds for children who need them most.”

“Over the past decade, the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Day of Service has demonstrated what we can accomplish when we come together,” Morrell added. “The projects may change, and new needs may emerge, but our commitment remains the same: to strengthen our communities and improve the lives of the people we serve. That commitment unites electric co-ops across Tennessee and is at the heart of who we are at Duck River Electric.”