Community Corner
Cold Weather Brings Surge In Calls for Heating Assistance From City's Emergency Fund
An update on the annual Melrose Emergency Fund drive.
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This week brought the first snows of winter and sent residents scurrying for ice scrapers and snow boots.
The cold weather also brought a surge in the number of calls for heating assistance. Funding for federal fuel assistance was cut this year, and Melrose's most vulnerable residents are feeling the cold because of it.
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"Allotments this year are half what they were last year," said Mayor Robert J. Dolan. "At the same time, the price of oil has gone up. As a result, some people's allotments came to less than 100 gallons of oil."
Thanks to a generous donation of oil from the , the Emergency Fund is able to fill some of the gap—but the cold weather has only begun.
Find out what's happening in Melrosewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"Our clients are responsible people," Dolan said. "They keep the heat low, they do their best to keep the cold out. At the end of the day, though, you have to heat your home, and some people will have to choose between food and fuel. It is my hope that no one in Melrose will be faced with this stark choice."
The Emergency Fund provides one-time assistance in the form of help with bills, gift cards to Johnny's Foodmaster, and heating oil. The fund is administered by the mayor's office, and every penny goes directly to aid.
"We have no overhead," Dolan said. "It's the best investment you can make, in my opinion: Every dollar given to the fund goes directly to helping your neighbors provide basic needs for their families. It is truly an investment in our community."
To make a donation, you can send a check to Melrose Emergency Fund, Mayor's Office, 562 Main St., Melrose, MA 02176 or bring it directly to the Mayor's Office on the second floor of City Hall. Checks should be made out to the City of Melrose, with "Melrose Emergency Fund" in the memo line. For more information about the fund, call 781-979-4440.
Donations to the fund total $26,123 so far this year, including Rotary's in-kind gift of oil and the following recent donations:
Melrose Emblem Club No. 89
Lynda Morgenroth
Jeff Berlin
Leo and Joan Peters
Melrose Firefighters I.A.F.F. Local 1617
Eleanor and Marco Marchi
Kevin and Kathy Donovan
Patricia and Paul Reynolds
Linda Fennell
Attorney James McAvoy
John and Carol Brandano
John, Olivia, and Ella DeCecca, in memory of Dina DeCecca
Dave Metell
Barbara A. Perry
Jeffrey and Elaine Bemis
James and Ellen Herrington
The Locke Family
Catherine Doig
Elsie Macdonald
Mary Sexton
Bernadette Kennedy, in loving memory of John F. Kennedy
Richard and Ann Spataro
David and Carol Newell
Mary J. Burns
Sandra Henry and Paul Rutz
Michele Ford Guihan
Gerald and Kathleen Nolan
Bruce and Joan Winslow
Patrick, Grace, and Caroline Donahue
Guy and Marlene Joslin
Alberta M. Turner
Wanda Johnson
James and Mary Timmons
Bill and Mary Forbes
Ronald and Charlene Weekley
Gale and Fred Babin
Martin and Mary Robichaud
Evelyn Gladu and Betty Spear
William Howard
Priscilla Chick and Priscilla Eustis
Diane and Rachael Glionna
John and Patricia Kelley
Michael and Maureen Vasily
Mary M. Edwards
Leonard Colasanti
Enrico and Nelaine Vinciarelli
Russell Priestley
The Bunco Babes
George and Wendy Lovett
Emily and Eli Rubenstein
Kenmac, Inc.
Lisa Howitt
Thomas and Eileen Torpey
James and Janice Carr
Ahern Painting Co., Inc.
Robert G. Hughes
Paul and Sheila Tighe
Melrose Arts and Crafts Society
Marc and Elizabeth Keroack
Barbara and Brian Musselman
Tracey and Edward Keenan
Lin and Jane Hagen
Neil Collins, on behalf of the clients of Collins Financial Services
Rod and Eileen Eddy
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