Anonymous: $25
Total this week: $225
Total this year: $39,371.76
Total last year: $49,592.50
Total since 1969: $1,763,285.86
Each winter since 1969, The Sumter Item has run a fundraiser to collect money from its readers to be donated entirely to Sumter United Ministries.
The faith-based nonprofit provides emergency and life-rebuilding services ranging from food, shelter and clothing to final notice bill pay, access to educational opportunities and a medical clinic. The Sumter Item recognizes and appreciates every ministry their staff and volunteers run, but Fireside Fund was created to focus on one area that becomes critical for the next few months: heat.
Every penny donated to this fund will directly help people who live in Sumter by preventing heating services from being turned off, allowing access to propane or other heating sources and, when enough funding is available and the need is there, funding long-term housing fixes to make homes more efficient.
Fireside Fund this year is dedicated to the memory of Hubert D. Osteen Jr., a former publisher and editor of The Sumter Item and father of its current owners. He passed away in December 2020 at the age of 84.
HOW TO CONTRIBUTE
Donations can be mailed to:
The Sumter Item
P.O. Box 1677
Sumter, SC 29151
Drop off donations
The Sumter Item is located at 36 W. Liberty St.
What to include
Names, including groups, should be spelled completely.
When making a donation in someone's honor, the names will be printed as given.
Checks should be made out to Sumter United Ministries.
DO YOU NEED HEATING HELP?
Anyone in need of assistance with heating or heating utility costs can call Sumter United Ministries at (803) 775-0757.
From report cards to the price of a new car, I am not sure of many situations where "average" is the goal.
When our heating season at Sumter United Ministries reaches into February, there are a few trends we see each year. One of the most obvious is electric bills with extremely large balances.
A big factor in these balances is the type of heating system the vast majority of residents have in Sumter: an electric heat pump. Most of the time, these systems are economical, provided that the temperatures are "average" for the season. However, when temperatures dip into the 30s for an extended timeframe, the system must compensate with auxiliary heat.
Auxiliary heat uses far more electricity to heat the home, even in the best operating condition. Many of our clients, however, are operating HVAC systems that are far from optimum condition, lacking critical gas to charge and heat or operating without routine maintenance. So each year, we have clients who call us in February, overwhelmed by the amount of money necessary to keep heating their homes.
This week, a 74-year-old grandmother was completely devastated by the prospect of paying her electric bill.
She raises two grandchildren, a teenager and an adult with special needs. Her income to support the household is just $1,500 a month. Since she still pays rent and is not a homeowner, it simply does not go very far to meet their needs. She supports the household completely on her own, with no forms of public assistance.
Recently, she mistakenly applied for paperless billing and failed to notice when a month changed without getting a bill. When she caught up to her mistake, the amount due, for two months' usage, was over $1,000.
Her heat pump is not operating properly, and she is using two to three times the electricity of a normal household.
We were able to offer energy conservation tips, encourage her in steps she may take to receive more help and pay a sizable amount on her electric bill.
She threw her arms up in a joyful response when we shared what we could do for her. It was a beautiful moment of gratitude.
One of our Crisis Relief Ministry volunteers turned around and smiled as she left: "Today was a good day!"
As wintry weather, snow and ice and many nights of below-average temperatures continue to cause anxiety for people with poorly performing HVAC systems, your generous contributions to the Fireside Fund are making a difference and providing relief. Thank you!
New donations as of Feb. 8: Daniel & Lucy Owens, in memory of my 4 sisters who passed in 2021: $100; and Council of Garden Clubs of Sumter Inc., $100.
More Articles to Read