Gift of Warmth allows disabled man to stay in his home. Here's how you can help.
KINGSTON — Robert Shedd said Rockingham Community Action programs saved his home and maybe his life.
Shedd, a resident of Kingston, ran into some very bad luck, he said, adding without the help of the CAP staff, he might have had to abandon his home. His situation was dire.
"I worked all my life, since I was 16," said Shedd. "I have been disabled since 2000, and this has been hard on me to accept. I have health issues, heart problems, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and arthritis. I need an oxygen tank at all times, and the arthritis makes it difficult to walk. I was raised to work, to rely on myself. I had to swallow my pride to ask for help, but I had no choice."
According to Rockingham Community Action, Shedd needed a new furnace, water heater, oil tank and chimney liner. Without those upgrades, he would have been unable to heat his home.
Shedd, 62, said he was told last year his furnace had a crack in it, small and not visible, but revealed in testing.
"I had no money to replace it and after having someone look at it, I decided to try get one more year out of it and hoped that would work because I am trying to stay in my home," said Shedd. "It did, but this year when I called for oil (he has fuel assistance) the person said they needed to inspect the tank, and it failed. I had no idea what to do. I live on Social Security and disability, which barely covers my living expenses. I had no savings."
Gift of Warmth: Rochester single mom of 3 receives help when home heating emergency struck
When he reached out to community action, he learned his hot water tank was also not up to code.
"They said they would run some numbers and came back to say they would do it all, at no cost to me," said Shedd. "I was amazed and I am so thankful."
Shedd said he urges anyone who needs help to make the call.
"I have never been made to feel like I was looking for a handout," he said "They are so nice, and they tell me that it is what the programs are for, to help people in need. They understand; they are the best people you could ever hope to meet."
How to donate to Gift of Warmth through Seacoast Media Group
Donations are gratefully accepted, and will be distributed among the two CAP programs for them to make a real difference in real lives.
This year, we ask that checks donated to Gift of Warmth be made out directly to either Rockingham Community Action or the Community Action Partnership of Strafford County. Please write “Gift of Warmth” in the check memo line to ensure the money goes for fuel assistance.
Checks can be mailed to Gift of Warmth, Seacoast Media Group, 111 New Hampshire Ave., Portsmouth, NH, 03801. We will tally the checks, record the names of each week’s contributors and then forward the checks on to the two county community action programs. Each week throughout the campaign, Seacoast Media Group will publish that week’s donors.
Again, please make the checks out to either the Rockingham Community Action Program or the Community Action Partnership of Strafford County and write Gift of Warmth in the memo line.
If you need help
To apply for fuel assistance, call Rockingham Community Action at (603) 431-2911. People experiencing any significant hardship or financial crisis can also call and they will be referred to the appropriate person. For more information, visit snhs.org.
For Community Action Partnership of Strafford County, call (603) 435-2500 or visit straffordcap.org.
Generous readers and businesses donate $44,775 so far
Recent donors include:
Anonymous, $1,000
Anthony and Tara Trifiletti, $200
Bob and Kathe Lewis, $100
T McCue, $100
In Memory of Bob Iafolla from a tennis friend, $50
In loving memory of Catherine Nims Swett, $100
In memory of Bob Iafolla, $50
Stephen and Mary Silverman, $100
Anonymous, $300
Carol A Riddle Rev Liv TR, $50
B K and R V Gardner, $150
Jean and John, $100
J. Stephanie Marshall and James Breeling, $100
Donald and Ethel Murphy, $500
Andrea and William Leahy, $100
Anonymous, $200
Richard and Donna Dellapaolera, $200
James and SY Cooper, $25
In honor of Irene Balaban, $50
Leslie and Matt Allen, $250
Jilliane Wiley, $200
Charles and Bessie Brewster, $100
Anonymous, $100
Bourque Family Revocable Trust, $50
Anonymous, $100
New Castle Congregational Church, $500
Eleonore Sanderson, $100
Ellen Cohn, $100
Thomas and Linda Rickenbach, $1,500
David Goldstein Foundation Inc., $200
Diane Riley, $50
William and Marla Hickey, $200
Anonymous, $250
Donald and Abbie-Jane Anderson, $100
Barbara Simundza, $50
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Gift of Warmth helps disabled man stay in his home. Here's how to help
