The Sun Journal article (Jan. 19) about some Mainers using some of their EBT card cash for some interesting things got my attention.

I delivered oil for about 30 years in 20 different towns. A lot of my customers who received help deserved it. They had worked hard all their lives and it was the only way to keep warm in these cold Maine winters.

In some cases, some people who got it were from families who never worked but who knew all the angles of getting assistance from the town or state. Many times I drove into a yard to deliver oil to a family getting assistance and there would be a nice car or snowmobile sitting in the yard. I was working 50 hours a week in all kinds of weather and all I could afford was an old, used car so I could feed my family and pay my bills.

Sometimes it was very difficult to keep my mouth shut and not tell them exactly what I thought.

Some of my older customers who really needed help were too proud to ask. They were of the older generation who had to work hard for a living.

Vance Bacon, West Paris


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