Fuel funds seeking donations

During these winter months, the cost of heating homes weighs heavily on the minds of many Maine residents. This is another year during which there is a significant demand for assistance.
Downeast Community Partners administers the federal Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP) and The Heating and Warmth (THAW) Fund to help people stay warm. Lee Hardison, director of energy services for Downeast Community Partners, has been helping people access fuel resources for 30 years.
"There has been a spike in price from heating and kerosene, and there is an old housing stock, specifically in Washington County, which is a perfect storm," she says. "With higher heating costs and the geography, people will be suffering without vital energy assistance."
The LIHEAP program has had 3,082 applicants this year, of which 1,629 have received benefits. Hardison reports the average benefit is $920 and, taking the difference in fuel prices into consideration, that is "up from last year."
" The ECIP fund has suffered from a shortage of vendors in the last fiscal year," she adds. "We have been extremely fortunate that our current 31 vendors make deliveries under all sorts of extenuating circumstances. They make sure the customers aren't cold."
Both LIHEAP and ECIP require an application process that takes 30 days for processing, but Downeast Community Partners is trying to make it more user friendly to the many residents of rural Washington County who, instead of going for an interview in Ellsworth or Machias, can make the application over the phone. Then it is mailed to the applicant for signatures of follow-up documentation. "I don't know why, but we've had a bit of an issue with the mail in the Lubec and Calais areas. We don't know what's slowing it down."
Hardison points out that while they are waiting for ECIP, those needing help can resort to THAW. The program is often most useful to people who were denied ECIP because they were just over the financial threshold or they've never applied before. The benefit is for the equivalent of 100 gallons of fuel and is awarded one time to an applicant per 12-month cycle. The fuel can be #2 fuel oil, propane, kerosene, wood pellets or firewood.
However, THAW is donation-based, "and we are hoping for more donations," stresses Hardison. "We have had 182 people use THAW since the season started on October 1, and they have received 100 gallons of fuel oil, but since we are getting low on funds, we have had to concentrate on serving our oldest and youngest population. We are doing a balancing act."
Hardison encourages people who need help with heating to reach out by contacting the fuel assistance line at 664-2424.

Eastport area fund in need of donations
The Community Emergency Fuel Fund in the Eastport area has given out vouchers to 20 households since the program began on December 1, reports Lynn Rutledge, president of the Greater Eastport Ecumenical Churches Association (GEECA), which oversees the fund.
"We are continuing to get grant money and funding from our fall appeal. People in this area are generous," she says. "Although it is a balancing game, we have handed out $5,000 so far, with amounts ranging from $200 to $250."
"We always ask if they have received assistance from the LIHEAP program, but by the grace of God we have been able to give out a bit in emergency situations."
Tax-free donations may be sent to the Community Emergency Fuel Fund by using the website located at <eastportlaboroflove.org>. It has additional information for local donors, as well as guidelines for those who are looking for assistance.

Calais fund may run out
The small heating assistance fund for Calais residents at the Irene Chadbourne Ecumenical Food Pantry has been used to assist 26 families this winter, says Sherry Sivret of St. Anne's Episcopal Church. That is 11 more households than this time last year.
"We have given out over $13,500, and we are just about out of money," she reports of the fund, which covers people living in Princeton to Robbinston as well as Alexander and Cooper.
"Most are working, and their fuel assistance hasn't arrived at a time that they can't stretch their money any more in this cold."
"The need is so real. They are only burning five gallons of heating oil at a time to make it stretch," she adds. "Every little bit that we can give them helps a lot."
Anyone wishing to send a financial donation to the fuel fund can mail it to Irene Chadbourne Ecumenical Food Pantry, P.O. Box 1005, Calais, ME 04619 or call St. Anne's Episcopal Church at 454-8016.

Lubec fuel fund
The Lubec Senior Fuel Fund is administered by the Town of Lubec and was created to help residents who are at least 60 years old, don't qualify for general assistance and have exhausted all assistance from other agencies such as LIHEAP.
One person has applied for assistance this winter and had fuel delivered to his or her home.
The financial patrons to the fund wish to remain anonymous, and the Town of Lubec is grateful to all who have donated.
The program runs from September 1 to May 31.