AUGUSTA – With near record-high oil prices coinciding with the onset of winter, Maine is launching an initiative aimed at helping some of the state’s most vulnerable people cope with the coming chill.

“This could be a long, cold winter for many Maine people,” said Gov. John Baldacci on Wednesday in announcing “Operation Keep ME Warm.”

The program will mobilize hundreds of volunteers, who will install energy conservation measures in 3,000 homes from Dec. 4 to Dec. 12.

The state Commission for Community Service is coordinating the effort. Members of the National Guard are among those expected to help in the effort.

Baldacci said he’s sending letters to 3,200 senior citizens who are clients of a federally funded, state-run home heating assistance program. The letters invite the seniors to take part in the operation.

“The weatherization kits will reduce energy usage and energy bills, and will make these homes less drafty and more comfortable this winter,” Baldacci said during a news conference.

Baldacci estimated that a $50 kit would save $78 in electricity and heating fuel annually.

He called the program a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership, in that it matches volunteers with Mainers who have pre-qualified for the weatherization services.

It will bring together state resources, donations from private sources and volunteers from service programs such as AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and VISTA.

The kits to be used in homes will include door, window and pipe insulation, as well as six compact fluorescent light bulbs that are long-lasting and use less power than traditional bulbs.

The kits are being put together by Home Depot at a discounted rate. Home Depot also will train volunteers on how to install the energy-saving devices.

The Maine Oil Dealers Association is donating money to reimburse volunteers for travel expenses. The University of Maine’s Hutchinson Center will provide a toll-free phone line for the program, and credit-card giant MBNA is donating some employee time to answer the phones.

The governor said he welcomes additional donations of goods and services to help with the program. Church or civic groups wanting to adopt a home locally may obtain kits from Home Depot, also at the discounted price, he said.

“We are preparing for what could turn out to be a very hard winter for thousands of Maine people,” Baldacci said. “The combination of Yankee ingenuity and neighbors working together to keep their neighbors warm will be needed if high energy prices persist throughout the heating season.”

He said he realizes that the limited weatherization effort is merely “a short-term solution for a long-term problem.”

Baldacci said he will continue to “look for and support long-term energy conservation and alternative energy solutions.”