On the Fourth of July, members of the Henderson Memorial Baptist Church in Farmington kicked off a new season of fundraising for the fuel assistance needs of Franklin County residents.
Following the parade, grilled or steamed hot dogs were given away to all comers. Donations were accepted for the Franklin County Ecumenical Heating Fund. Despite the rainy weather and the smaller community turnout, the amount raised was $464.30.
Pastor Susan Crane, Coordinator of the Ecumenical Heating Fund, was on hand to update donors about the work of ECU HEAT. During the 2008-2009 heating season, ECU HEAT assisted 168 households throughout Franklin County, each with a 50-gallon fuel delivery, for a total of 11,150 gallons of fuel. At last year’s prices for heating oil, nearly $40,000 in community-generated funds was needed just to help people in need from Sept. 1 through Thanksgiving.
The fund is hoping to raise enough money to be able to help all callers this coming fall. It is heartbreaking to have to turn people away, because the fund runs dry (which it did for three weeks last November). The coordinator recalled speaking with a young mother with an infant, who was living in a mobile home with absolutely no heat in the month of November.
Depending on the price of oil, the ECU HEAT Coordinator estimates that $25,000 to $45,000 will be needed for the coming fall; currently, the Fund has $26,000 going toward that goal. Once the federal LIHEAP (Low Income Heating Assistance Program) funds arrive in Maine (around Dec. 1), the need level subsides; it is then that ECU HEAT becomes a lifeline for those not eligible for the federal program – those who must purchase all their own fuel. For those without credit with a local fuel dealer, this means purchasing a minimum of 100 gallons, cash on delivery.
ECU HEAT is an outreach ministry of the Farmington Area Ecumenical Ministry (FAEM). The Fund has been helping keep our neighbors warm since 2004. ECU HEAT operates in partnership with Western Maine Community Action, whose community service employees take the applications and authorize the fuel deliveries. Every attempt to supply the need with federal or state funds is exhausted before using ECU HEAT funds. Nevertheless, ECU HEAT funds do provide the lion’s share of the privately-raised fuel assistance for Franklin County. In the previous heating season 83 families were helped; this past season the number more than doubled. All this is made possible by the generous gifts of churches, individuals, businesses and service organizations here in Franklin County.
Churches in Franklin County raised $20,407 in 2008-2009. FAEM would especially like to thank the Kingfield United Methodist Church for its fundraising efforts that supported both the Salem Economic Ministry and the Ecumenical Heating Fund; their efforts have also made it possible for more residents in the northern part of Franklin County to access a full range of fuel assistance resources. The Farmington Baptist Church is also to be recognized as a new contributor, for its Veterans Day Concert and Supper. Churches came up with many creative ways to raise money for ECU HEAT, from the Inaugural Ball in Farmington to a Boar’s Head Feast and a Greek dinner in Wilton. These efforts keep the Fund visible and offer the entire community a way to help share the warmth.
ECU HEAT would also like to thank the following businesses and service organizations for helping to raise money for the cause: Blue Knights, Kyes Insurance, Trask Jewelers for the Local Business Jars project, the Monday Club, Farmington Rotary, and the Pierce House Staff. The Franklin Health Network and the United Way of the Tri Valley Area also provided significant support this past heating season, as did the Town of Jay.
During the past year, the Franklin County Ecumenical Heating Fund was the recipient of grants from the Joan H. and Stanley Gould Charitable Foundation, the Frances Hollis Brain Foundation, the Leonard C. and Mildred F. Ferguson Foundation, and the Fisher Charitable Foundation. In addition, a great deal of money is sent to ECU HEAT by individual donors who live in Franklin County and want to help keep their neighbors warm.
As a ministry of the Farmington Area Ecumenical Ministry (FAEM), a tax-exempt charitable organization, all donations to the Franklin County Ecumenical Heating Fund are tax deductible and are so acknowledged. To donate, checks payable to ECU HEAT may be mailed to P.O. Box 147, Farmington, ME 04938. The people of Franklin County appreciate your support.
