The Historical Society of Maries County (HSMC) has been awarded a grant from the MFA Oil Foundation to assist with improvements to the society’s Research Room by purchasing storage, file cabinets and shelving. 

The MFA Oil Foundation provides support to nonprofit organizations that are working to improve communities where MFA Oil has a significant concentration of members and employees. Since it was established in 1998, the MFA Oil Foundation has awarded more than $1 million in grants. 

MFA Oil Plant Manager Karalee Curtis of Steelville, was at the Research Room in Vienna last week to present a $1,000 grant check to HSMC President Lisa Jones, Vice President Glenda Baxter, and Director of Records and Research Sharon Wulff. 

Jones said HSMC member Kathleen Steuber had alerted her to the MFA Oil Foundation’s grant program and the application the HSMC made was successful.

“The Historical Society of Maries County is so thankful for the generous grant donation from MFA Oil,” Jones said. “That funding will certainly help us complete our upgrades to the Research Room and protect the newspapers, photographs, ledgers and priceless documents housed there. It is certainly inspiring to have a large co-op support the history of small town Missouri.”

MFA Oil Senior Director of Employee Engagement and Culture Tom May described the MFA Oil Foundation as, “A program that allows our company to give support back to the rural communities that are the foundation of our business. The grants the foundation awards help support many youth programs and organizations active in addressing and solving community problems and improving the quality of life.”