The Cooperative Council of North Carolina recently honored six-year-old Tatum Rhyne, of Ellerbe for her donations to the Carolina Farm Credit Food drive. Tatum is the daughter of Matthew and Jennifer Rhyne.

Rhyne asked everyone who attended her sixth birthday party to bring non-perishable food items instead of gifts so that she could donate them to Carolina Farm Credit’s food drive. She received a special community service award for her donations at the annual Co-op Month Celebration held in Raleigh on October 25th. Rhyne received a standing ovation for her selfless act of kindness, and was presented with a TV and several DVDs from the Council as a birthday gift.  Melanie McLeod, Loan Assistant at Carolina Farm Credit in Ellerbe said “Tatum gave a pink box of food and $20 to our food drive, but what she really gave was a great example of foregoing the latest 'toy’ in order to help out others in need.  We could all learn from her example.”
          
The Co-op Month Celebration marked the end of the Early Harvest Food Drive, a statewide project in which co-ops across North Carolina organized food drives for their communities. Carolina Farm Credit participated in the project by holding food drives at each service center and donated$3,750.00 and 4,300 pounds of food to local food banks. The Co-Op Council presented a Co-Op Community Service Award to Carolina Farm Credit at the celebration for their participation.

Carolina Farm Credit is a stockholder-owned cooperative providing short, intermediate, and long-term financing to full and part-time farmers and agricultural-related businesses and also provides financing for the construction and purchase of homes in 54 counties through 36 service centers.  Other financial services available are credit life insurance, crop insurance, appraisal services, leasing programs and financial planning.

Carolina Farm Credit serves over 8,900 members with loans outstanding totaling more than $1.4 billion.  The association’s territory covers the western half of North Carolina, with service centers located in Albemarle, Asheboro, Asheville, Boone, Burnsville, Carthage, Concord, Ellerbe, Graham, Hendersonville, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lenoir, Lexington, Lincolnton, Marshall, Mocksville, Monroe, Murphy, Newton, Pilot Mountain, Reidsville, Roxboro, Rural Hall, Salisbury, Shelby, Siler City, Sparta, Spindale, Statesville, Taylorsville, Wadesboro, Waynesville, Wilkesboro, Yadkinville, and Yanceyville.
Directors for Carolina Farm Credit are Joseph A. Lail, Chairman, Shelby; Mark A. Bray, Vice-Chairman, Lawsonville; John M. Barnard, Statesville; E. Bernard Beck, Seagrove; W. Rex Bell, Statesville; Herbert R. Cheeks, Hayesville; David M. Coltrane, Pleasant Garden; Susie J. Gambill, Sparta; W. Steve Love, Graham; Bobby J. “Bud” Matthews, East Bend; Clark M. Newlin, Haw River; Thomas E. Porter, Jr., Concord;  Tony L. Ragan, Sanford; Lewis E. Smith, Lincolnton; Vickie N. Smitherman, East Bend; L. Kim Starnes, Salisbury; Dr. Alton Thompson, Summerfield.