FARMINGTON — It’s only October yet Western Maine Community Action’s fuel/energy assistance program and the emergency Franklin County Ecumenical Heating Fund have received a lot of calls from area residents who are out of oil.

With weather predictions for a cold winter, it may be a hard, long winter, said Tania Gage from WMCA’s program. It also administers emergency fuel assistance for area churches through the Ecumenical Heating Fund from Wilton up through the county and the Good Neighbor Fund in the Livermore Falls/Jay area.

Applications for Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program money were started in August but the federal funds probably won’t arrive until November, said Judy Frost, WMCA program manager. Last year, from July through the end of April, they took in 3,000 applications. Since August, they have taken 1,000 LIHEAP applications from all over Franklin County, she said. Applications will be taken at WMCA next week.

Calls coming in so far have been from many who need fuel to heat water, Frost said. 

“This (October) is the latest that we’ve ever started providing help through the ecumenical fund,” Gage said.

With only limited money available in the ecumenical fund, Gage can only authorize 50 gallons of fuel per household this year. A Community Heating Challenge was started in September with a goal of raising $7,500 by November to match a grant received from the Sandy River Charitable Foundation. Pastor Susan Crane, coordinator of the ecumenical fund, hopes that Franklin County communities will match the amount to help assist up to 150 families with 50-gallon deliveries this fall, she said.

The fund has received $1,250 in donations since the challenge was started on Sept. 24, Crane said. The Farmington Area Ecumenical Ministry donation of $1,000 along with individual contributions totaling $250 created a very good start, she said.

Eight area churches make up the membership of FAEM with member church dues allowing them to jump-start the Community Heating Challenge with a sizable donation, Crane said. Churches include Old South Congregational, Henderson Memorial Baptist Church, Fairbanks Union, St. Luke’s Episcopal, St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic, Farmington Friends Meeting, Shorey Chapel and Trinity United Methodist Church. The group also oversees three other ministries in addition to the heating fund, the Care and Share Food Closet, a security deposit loan fund and the Farmington Warming Center.

Gage said the WMCA program tries to help families who call and are without oil find a place to go for resources, including town offices, or suggests they make a deal with an oil company, or if they are a renter, a deal with the landlord.

Those who apply for LIHEAP money but still need emergency assistance can apply for Emergency Crisis Intervention Program funds. Beyond these, WMCA administers the Ecumenical Heating Fund by calling 645-3764, ext. 5523.

Donations to help meet the Community Heating Challenge are tax deductible. Checks payable to ECU HEAT may be sent to P.O. Box 147, Farmington, ME 04938.

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