Northeast Community Credit Union is helping sponsor the TLC Community Center’s Christmas ‘Bundles of Love’ program.

The Bundles of Love program collects items for children in need in the local community; such as hygiene items, school supplies, personal items and small toys. The bundles are distributed based on referrals from local schools and to clients who participate in the TLC Summer Food program.

NCCU donated 1,500 bags to the TLC Community Center to use for the program and will be providing volunteers for the distribution of the gifts. NCCU will also serve as a drop-off location for items for the Bundles of Love.

“Our credit union works hard to help improve the lives of our neighbors –financially and otherwise,” NCCU President/CEO Teresa Arnold said. “There are needs right here where we live, and we’re so pleased to work with TLC Community Center to help wherever we can.”

“There are so many families missing basic essentials in our community,” TLC Director Angie Odom said. “This is about meeting needs in our own hometown.”

NCCU’s Main Office (behind Elizabethton High School) and their Roan Mountain Office will be accepting items for the Bundles of Love, which include shampoo, toothpaste, individually packaged toothbrushes, dental floss, deodorant, soaps, combs, body wash, washcloths, pencils, erasers, notebooks, crayons, socks, gloves, hats, mittens, small toys and other similar items.

The Bundles of Love will be distributed in December to boys and girls aged from toddler to teenager.

Items for the Bundles of Love can be dropped off at either the NCCU Main Office at 980 Jason Witten Way, Elizabethton, or at the NCCU Roan Mountain office at 8301 Highway 19E, in Roan Mountain.

Jennifer Rickert, Instructional Coach at Harold McCormick Elementary, is the latest Northeast Community Credit Union Helping Teacher’s Teach grant winner.

Rickert is using the grant to help purchase books to supplement the school’s Science of Reading program. The program helps students build reading skills through phonics and spelling patterns while also sharing knowledge of the world around them.

“Our youngest learners have been so negatively impacted during their formative years, especially with COVID,” Rickert said. “Many of our students do not have rich exposure to texts to build understanding of our world. They need to encounter rich stories through read alouds.”

Northeast Community Credit Union awards $300 every month to a classroom to be utilized for classroom needs, classroom activities, and academic enrichment.  Helping Teachers Teach is open to teachers within Carter, Johnson, Unicoi, Sullivan and Washington counties who are members of Northeast Community Credit Union. Area teachers may become members online or at any NCCU location and can download the grant application on the credit union’s website:  www.BeMyCU.org.

Northeast Community Credit Union is helping to support students as they prepare for a new school year by sponsoring both of Carter County’s backpack programs.

NCCU donated $1,000 to both of Carter County’s Back to School Bashes. The Back to School Bashes gives away thousands of backpacks filled with school supplies to students in the Carter County and Elizabethton City school systems each year.

Back to School Bash Ministries will host an event this Saturday, July 30, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Hampton High School. The Bash will have free school supplies, food, activities, characters and more. Items will be given away on a first-come, first-serve basis and children must be accompanied by an adult.

The Elizabethton City Schools will be hosting their Back to School Bash on August 6 from 10 a.m. to noon at Elizabethton High School. This bash will have free backpacks, school supplies, snacks, and games and activities on the field for children.

Northeast Community Credit Union will be at each Back to School Bash with special giveaways for students.

Northeast Community Credit Union has been serving the community since October 1952 when it was chartered as a credit union by the State of Tennessee. Northeast Community Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative. It is open to anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in Carter, Johnson, Washington, Unicoi and Sullivan counties along with their immediate family members.

For more information, visit www.BeMyCU.org.

Scammers are using the names of well-known employers to post job openings that don’t exist. The purpose is to trick consumers into sending them personal information or money upfront to get the job.

The phony postings are hard to pass up. They offer great pay, telework options, and money to set up a home office. Here’s an example of how the scam works:

First, they will get a person’s information and send them a check for, say, $4,000. Once the check “clears”, they tell the person to keep $1,000 as a salary advance and send back $3,000 — supposedly to get a computer and office equipment. But the job and the equipment never appear. And sadly, when the person realizes the check is fake, they are out of the job and now $3,000 in debt.

Report job scams to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov

To check out the full article visit the FTW website.