Churches Respond To a Crisis in Our Community
Last week, a young woman called Sister Nancy O’Brien, RSM, who directs the emergency assistance program at Catholic Charities of Livingston County. The utility company turned the power in her home off at 1:00 PM that day; they were past due $243.35. She was desperate. Her family did not qualify for any government assistance. “We have never had to ask for help before” she said, words we hear frequently these days. Her husband works full time and she works 30 hours weekly “but our van died and we spent everything we had on another vehicle.” Their plan was to pay this bill on Friday, when they received their paychecks. That night mom & dad brought their two children to grandpa’s warm house, and then returned home to stay with their pets. The temperature went down to 24 degrees that night. The following day, their power was restored and the heat came back on, with Sister Nancy’s help.
The rapid escalation of energy costs has created a crisis in the lives of people with low paying jobs and those living on modest, fixed incomes. In 2007, Catholic Charities helped to restore heat or prevented utilities from being disconnected for 85 families in 19 towns and villages throughout Livingston County. People requesting emergency assistance to keep their heat on, who do not qualify for government heating assistance program, has continued rising this year. We need additional funds in order to stay ahead of this growing problem.
Catholic Charities created a special fund to assist families with crises such as utility shut offs. We successfully applied to The Raskob Foundation for a grant to establish the Livingston Emergency Assistance Fund (LEAF), a $45,000 restricted fund to prevent utility shut offs, avoid eviction or purchase emergency prescriptions for people without medical insurance. This Delaware foundation has committed $15,000 to LEAF, if Catholic Charities raises $30,000 locally by May 1st. To date, we have raised $22,135 from private donations and church sponsored events. On January 26th, St. Matthew Church in Livonia raised $5,085 from their 3rd Annual Eat for Heat spaghetti dinner. Future events are also planned at the Dansville United Methodist and the Avon Interfaith Council of Churches (Feb. 10th) and St. Luke’s in Geneseo (Feb.23rd). Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity at SUNY Geneseo is also holding barbecues to benefit this fund.
One other interesting energy related story from last week. Exxon Mobil reported the largest annual profit for any corporation in history, $40.6 billion dollars. I include this fact not because I feel they did anything improper. I appreciate that Exxon Mobil is a successful company providing a critical commodity to our country and world. It simply demonstrates how out of balance economics are, when two working people struggle to keep their heat on and energy companies are generating record profits. Thanks to all the faith communities and individuals who have assisted our neighbors in need, to keep the heat on in homes this winter. If you would like to help, send your gift to Catholic Charities of Livingston County, 10 Chapel St, Mt Morris, NY 14510. Mark “LEAF” on your check.
Joseph DiMino, Executive Director
Catholic Charities of Livingston County