Ruth Hagfors from Lakes and Pines Community Action Council, coordinator for the OCC events, talked with ECE's Dave Tomlinson about the energy meter, a device which shows the difference in energy used by a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) compared to a standard incandescent bulb.

The second annual Operation Community Connect (OCC) brought dozens of community resource people together under one roof and invited the public to visit with them, enjoy lunch and find out where they can get help with everyday concerns.

OCC events were held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Milaca, Cambridge United Methodist Church, St. Mary's Fellowship Hall in Mora and at the Hinckley Community Center. An event was also held on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at the Lakes Free Church in Lindstrom. ECE employees were on hand at all of them, providing energy-saving information, giving away compact fluorescent light bulbs and answering questions from visitors.

Some other agencies represented at the events were Central Minnesota Jobs and Training, Communities Investing in Families, the Minnesota Extension Service, area hospitals, local food shelves, veterans' services, early childhood family education programs and county human services staff.

A coat drive was part of the Hinckley OCC, and ECE employees contributed bags full of coats, blankets, hats and mittens to that event.

Last year, Operation Community Connect served 440 households. On Thursday, organizers were pleased with the turnout and expected to serve even more families by the time the events wrapped up at 6 p.m.