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Stacey Walbourn (pictured left), Life Coach with Community Action Opportunities, shared with us how her client, Petya (pictured right), was impacted by ABCCM’s heating assistance initiative.
“Petya is a mother of two who I’ve worked with for some time now. She applied for the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) in mid-January, but while she was waiting for assistance she ran out of fuel sooner than expected. I went on her behalf to Eblen Charities to check the status of her LIEAP application and found that she was eligible for both LIEAP and the Crisis Intervention Program (CIP). However, due to a lag in processing and a wait time for oil delivery her family lived without heat for a week.
A week without heat in record low temperatures was a tremendous hardship for this family. They were consistently running the oven and space heaters to keep some heat in their home. Petya told me, “It is exhausting to live in the cold and to watch my children being so cold without the strength to change or prevent it.”
After hearing that they were still waiting for help, I reached out to Sheryl Olsen from ABCCM. Within hours of the request, they were able to provide Petya with 15 gallons of oil for her home. This immediate assistance pulled Petya out of crisis and bridged the gap in services while providing her with peace of mind and comfort.
Petya is so grateful for ABCCM’s assistance! She said that it made her feel like her and her children really matter. They weren’t just names on a page that could get lost in the shuffle, but were seen as people with value.”
Without the generosity and prayers of supporters of ABCCM, stories like Petya’s wouldn’t be a reality. To continue to keep those like Petya safe and warm, give heating assistance at the link below.