FEBRUARY 2019 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 57
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PROJECT WARMTH LI’S EMERGENCY HEAT
Come winter, when temperatures
plummet and Long Island families
who can’t afford to heat their homes
don’t qualify for the New York State
Home Energy Assistance Program
(HEAP), where can they turn?
Situations such as this are when the
nonprofit United Way of Long Island’s
Project Warmth steps in, providing
one-time grant payments made
directly to oil and utility companies
on behalf of local residents facing a
heating emergency.
“Long Islanders are working hard
for the wages they earn, but unfortunately
those wages might not be
enough to cover life’s basic costs,”
says Theresa Regnante, president and
CEO of United Way of Long Island.
“Project Warmth provides a critical
service to the approximately 1,000
families, each year, who experience
cost-of-living increases during the
winter months. It is United Way of
Long Island’s responsibility to ensure
that our most vulnerable neighbors
stay safe and warm this season.”
Lowering the temperature inside
can pose serious health risks,
especially to seniors and children.
More than 30 percent of families
on LI struggle to make ends meet,
despite living above the poverty income
threshold and being gainfully
employed.
The United Way of Long Island is
the local chapter of the 130-year-old
global nonprofit that’s forged more
than 100 partnerships with the goal
of increasing impact and reducing
costs of its many health, education
and anti-poverty projects.
As the Island’s only nongovernmental,
islandwide emergency
heating fund, Project Warmth is
available during winter months as a
safety net for individuals and families
who are facing energy insecurity
and are unable to pay their heating
bill. Many of these residents have
Project Warmth helps struggling families heat their homes. (Getty Images)
already exhausted all other options
for assistance and are forced to
choose between heating their home
or purchasing food and medicine.
Since its inception in 1994, Project
Warmth has provided more than
$10 million in emergency funding
to more than 94,000 children and
adults. Project Warmth will remain
open until all funds are depleted.
For assistance from Project
Warmth, contact United Way of
Long Island by dialing 2-1-1 or 1-888-
774-7633, 7 days a week, 9 a.m. to 5
p.m., for referrals to an intake site,
or visit 211longisland.org.
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