Gift of Warmth: Rochester single mom of 3 receives help when home heating emergency struck

Karen Dandurant, Portsmouth Herald
·4 min read
Elvira Dun, a single mother of three in Rochester, says Community Action Partnership of Strafford County was there when she needed it. Money donated to the Gift of Warmth helps local people who need help with their heating.
Elvira Dun, a single mother of three in Rochester, says Community Action Partnership of Strafford County was there when she needed it. Money donated to the Gift of Warmth helps local people who need help with their heating.

ROCHESTER — Elvira Dun, a single mom, says she will be forever grateful to the Community Action Partners of Strafford County for helping her and her family in their time of need.

Dun, 36, has three children, ages 16, 13 and 3. She had been working with the Strafford CAP for a couple of years for fuel assistance, to help keep her family warm. Then her hot water tank burst.

"Things have been hard, especially in the winter, and especially this year, for everyone," she said. "But when the tank burst, I panicked. I had no money to fix it. I didn't even know who to call to get it fixed. A friend advised me to go see the CAP people to see if they could help. I applied for additional help. The process was really easy and they were so friendly, so helpful."

Gift of Warmth
Gift of Warmth

Not only did CAP replace Dun's water tank, they told her they could help make her home more energy-efficient through their weatherization program. CAP receives funding to help local people with heating needs from Seacoast Media Group's Gift of Warmth campaign, funded by generous readers.

"They sent in a crew and they were so nice," said Dun. "Any questions I had, they were right there to answer. Even when I made calls. I got a real person and was never passed from one person to another. I cannot tell you how much this has meant to me. Times are tough for people right now and the idea that this will save me money on my bills means everything."

To anyone who needs help and is hesitant to ask, Dun said make the call because the people at CAP really care.

How to donate to Gift of Warmth

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 $37,450 so far

Recent donors include:

Steve and Alissa Holmes, $150

John Martin and Karen Noonan, $50

Wes Gardner and Linda Smosna, $200

In memory of David Richard and Eleanor Hugo, $100

Anonymous, $100

Peter F. Somssich and Kathleen A. Pohlman-Somssich, $100

Joseph S. and Mary D. Caliro, $100

Stuart P. Howell, $500

Bruce E. Briggs and Katherin H. Kramer-Briggs, $500

Judith A. Jewett Siemonsa and Mark B. Siemonsa, $25

Robert A. and Ellen M. Docili, $700

Anonymous, $100

Clair E. Grant, $100

Stephen G. and Sheila Philp, $100

Anonymous, $50

Evelyn L. Laux, $100

Susan and Arthur Greenberg, $100

Bradley and Bettina Rickenbach, $200

Caryl J. Sawtelle, $500

Melina A. Scampini, $500

Stephen and Karin Barndollar, $250

Myrtle Moore, $100

The King Family, $100

Joyce Breault, $100

Raymond James, $100

Piscataqua Savings Bank, $2,000

Bank of America, $5,000

Timothy J. and Cheryl Mardin, $100

Bill and Jill Compton, $100

George and Saralyn Doran, $100

Edward B. Scheipers, $50

Arthur and Ann Ditto, $100

Justin Hanna, $200

Andrea and Bob Vibbert, $250

T-ci, Kathi, Mary Beth, $300

Eileen Trickey, $100

Max, Julie and Peter Ward, $100

Michael and Laurie Steinberg, $250

Donald Arnoudse and Colleen Kilcoyne, $100

Teresa and Michael Barrett, $100

Robert and Kathleen Calkins, $150

Anonymous, $400

Green Velvet Landscape, $200

Anonymous, $1,500

Jeanne Haskins, $200

This week’s total: $16,225

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Gift of Warmth: Rochester NH single mom gets help in heating emergency