First Commerce Provides Relief, Serves Thousands of Meals in South Georgia Communities After Hurricane Helene
As many First Commerce team members were still evaluating how their own families and homes fared through Hurricane Helene, it became immediately apparent that our South Georgia neighbors in Valdosta, Adel, Nashville and Ray City could use a helping hand. The First Commerce Credit Union leadership team quickly set out plans for Tallahassee team members to join their South Georgia counterparts to provide some relief.
The nearly weeklong effort started in Adel, when on Sunday, September 29, our First Commerce team members got together a grill, some tents for shade and 600 hot dogs and buns to make sure people who were grappling with power outages — and much worse — had something to eat.
Everyone was welcome at the Adel financial center to grab a warm lunch, snacks and some cold water. First Commerce financial centers in the South Georgia cities served as comfort stations, for people who had been dealing with the late September heat to enjoy some air conditioning and charge their electronic devices while enjoying community and conversation.
For some people, simply having a cold water helped them feel a bit more normal in such an uncertain time. Yolanda Roberson, an Adel resident who had substantial damage to her house, told a First Commerce team member that Sunday’s event was a help after she experienced such loss.
“You never know how a bottle of cold water will make a person’s day, coming from someone who has lost almost everything but God,” Roberson said. “We still have our life.”
During the cookout in Adel, First Commerce team members used their personal vehicles to transport hundreds of the lunches to nearby Nashville, where the community also was dealing with widespread, prolonged power outages.
The response to the Adel cookout was so powerful that First Commerce decided to keep the momentum going. The following day, on Monday, team members returned to Nashville to serve up hundreds of freshly grilled hamburgers in an effort to uplift the community during a tough time.
“I am incredibly proud of our team for stepping up to help our communities when they need it most – even when some were dealing with their own damages or challenges. The response has been truly heartwarming knowing we were able to do our small part to bring some relief to the families and businesses impacted by the storm,” said First Commerce CEO Cecilia Homison.
The Nashville financial center, which had gone days without power, was back up and running with power by Tuesday, and was promptly turned into a comfort station for members. Tuesday also saw another community cookout held by First Commerce, this time at the Valdosta Mall financial center — serving free warm meals to additional hundreds of people in one of the hardest-hit areas.
The credit union rounded out the week with a final community cookout at the First Commerce Ray City location on Thursday. Altogether, First Commerce was able to hand out more than 2,000 meals over the course of the week following Hurricane Helene.
Throughout the week, First Commerce kept our members and the communities they live in at the forefront of our minds. And it didn’t stop there. As a credit union dedicated to transforming communities, First Commerce also implemented special programs designed to help people in 25 South Georgia and North Florida counties recover financially.
First Commerce waived penalty fees on emergency CD withdrawals, dispersed hundreds of thousands of dollars in emergency recovery loans and waived payments for half a year in our popular auto loan program. See the difference we made for our members in the numbers:
$800,226.60 in emergency recovery loans disbursed
$130,749.20 in home repair loans to help fix damaged roofs, cars, septic tanks, and driveways
61 auto loans initiated with no payments for 6 months, since Sept. 24
$1,171,000 in home equity lines of credit extended between Sept. 24 and Oct. 28
First commerce is always looking for meaningful ways to support our members, and the communities we serve, rain or shine. Being there for you is how we Empower Generations and Transform Communities.

Who We Are
Established in 1940, First Commerce is a full-service, not-for-profit credit union with locations across North Florida and South Georgia. We are a member-owned cooperative and committed to the communities we serve. Our purpose is to empower people to enhance their financial well-being by helping them achieve their financial goals – whether it’s simplifying their day-to-day finances, buying their first car or home, or building a great retirement. When you bank with First Commerce, you get a truly personal experience backed by 80 years of financial expertise.