The Pictou County Fuel Fund anticipates a challenging heating season following a record need for assistance last winter. The Fuel Fund assisted 374 families with urgent heating needs, more than a 40 per cent increase over the previous year.
“We are all experiencing the squeeze inflation has on our household budgets, it is especially difficult for people on low or fixed incomes”, says Glennie Langille, chairperson of PCFF. “Last year we know some of our clients were choosing between heat and food.”
Many of the people who received assistance last year were doing so for the first time. The Fuel Fund can assist with a maximum of $450 for oil, propane, firewood or pellets.
PCFF’s annual fundraising campaign is now underway. “The Fuel Fund is truly neighbours helping neighbours,” said Langille. “Our motto is no one in Pictou County should go cold. We are truly grateful for the people who donate.”
PCFF provides urgent assistance for those who do not have options and face the prospects of an unheated home environment during the winter months. Intended for those who are dangerously close to running out of fuel to heat their home and who have no financial means to pay for fuel, eligible families may use this support once per heating season. Assistance from the Fuel Fund is available from Nov. 15 until the end of March.
The Fuel Fund is a volunteer-driven organization with the sole purpose of providing short-term fuel/heating support for those who find themselves in extraordinary need. The Fuel Fund does not receive any government funding, relying entirely on the donations of individuals, churches, municipal governments, schools, and corporations.
Information on how to apply for fuel can be found at: www.pictoucountyfuelfund.ca or by calling 902-616-4328 (HEAT) – Mondays to Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Anyone who wishes to make a donation can also do so through the Donate Page, or by dropping it off at Summer Street Industries.