FARMINGTON — During November, 74 homes were approved to receive 50-gallon deliveries of fuel through the ECU HEAT Share program. The cost was  $18,076.48.

ECU HEAT has a goal to raise $50,000 this heating season to serve at least 300 households.

Upcoming fundraisers include the traditional “Christmas Carol Sing” at 3 p.m. Dec. 15 at Old South First Congregational Church in Farmington. All donations will help heat homes in Franklin County. The goal is to raise $2,000 that day. 

The Tuesday Quilters have a quilt on display at Sugarwood Gallery, where raffle tickets are being sold to benefit ECU HEAT Share. The drawing will be held at an open house at Sugarwood Gallery on Friday, Dec. 13. 

Plans are also in the works for another “Hollywood Stars” dance in February.

“The Share program is making it possible to serve many more households than we could, when we were paying for the entire delivery,” ECU HEAT Share coordinator, the Rev. Susan Crane, said in a news release. “We knew we needed to be able to serve more than the 255 homes ECU HEAT served last winter.” 

The heating season officially began Nov. 1, but no federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program money will be available until December. 

ECU HEAT serves all of Franklin County with the exception of Jay, which is served by the Good Neighbor Fund.

ECU HEAT has operated since 2005 as an emergency fund, but changed its focus this year to encourage people who know they could use “a helping hand” to plan ahead, rather than waiting until the oil runs out. 

The program is now called ECU HEAT Share, because applicants are asked to contribute $50 toward the cost of a 50-gallon delivery.

Applications are available at Western Maine Community Action in East Wilton. Applicants fill in the form and attach a $50 money order payable to their fuel vendor and return the form to WMCA for processing.

WMCA ensures that each household receives only one such delivery per heating season and then sends the application with money order to the vendor.

Judith Frost, director of LIHEAP and all the community-generated fuel assistance funds for WMCA, believes there are new customers using ECU HEAT Share for the first time this winter. Most are older residents who would not have asked for help through the previous program. Now that they can contribute a share of the cost, they are grateful for the helping hand, she said.

“They seem to feel better about it if they pay some toward the costs. I’ve heard that over and over again,” Frost said.

There have been some emergency calls during the recent cold weather. People with no heat and no resources may apply for General Assistance from the town in which they live; if eligible, the town will attach a voucher for the $50 share to their application.

Vouchers are also being supplied in emergencies by some churches and the Salvation Army. In one case, a teacher provided the $50 share so a student’s family could heat their home.

Donations are tax deductible and are received year round. Checks payable to ECU HEAT may be mailed to P.O. Box 147, Farmington, ME 04938. For more information, visit www.faemchurches.org.