Program fights winter cold

Volunteers help low-income families winterize their homes

Barb Evans hasn’t received her latest utility bills, but no matter how high they might be, she already knows they could have been higher.

She can feel the difference.

Saturday, while snow and temperatures fell outside her Lawrence residence, Evans, 71, watched as volunteers assisting with a new home winterization program spent about an hour sealing or blocking small airways around windows and doors. They also did other little things to improve her double-wide mobile home’s ability to keep cold air out and utility usage down.

“I have noticed a big difference in my bedroom and my bathroom,” Evans said Wednesday. “They fixed all around the back door where our laundry room is, and that extends into the kitchen. They did a fantastic job.”

About 50 homes in the Lawrence and Douglas County area have been winterized in recent days thanks to individual volunteers, church groups and construction companies. The winterization kits were obtained from the Kansas Warm Homes Project through New Focus Ministries.

Ginger Wilkins, president of New Focus ministries, looks through one of the winterization kits that she helped deliver to the East Kansas Economic Cooperative on Wednesday afternoon.

On Wednesday, volunteers took a truck to a Topeka warehouse where they picked up another 210 winterization kits. Applications are to be taken today from people who would like to have the kits used to winterize their homes. Certain low-income guidelines must be met. The program is targeted for households that fall under 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.

Applications can be completed starting at 9 a.m. at East Kansas Economic Cooperative (ECKAN), 2518 Ridge Court. Volunteers to help process the applications also are sought and are asked to show up at 8:30 a.m., said Ginger Wilkins, president of New Focus Ministries.

“It’s so exciting to see the collaboration and all the people in Douglas County who are involved,” Wilkins said. “Wouldn’t it be great to get these in for people by Christmas?”

Some people may be able to install the kits themselves, Wilkins said.

Kansas Warm Homes Project is providing 10,000 winterization kits statewide. So far, 6,000 have been received with the rest on the way, said Tim Stock, the state’s program coordinator.

“We’re getting a very good response,” Stock said. “A lot of agencies are coming forward and there are still more coming every day.”

In Lawrence, volunteers from all walks of life have stepped forward to help with the winterization project, Wilkins said. More than a dozen volunteers from the First Church of the Nazarene, 1470 N. 1000 Road, participated in an earlier training session to learn how to install the kits.

“We just spread the word that we needed volunteers and they showed up,” the Rev. Dan Steele said. “Some of them were teens.”

Local group taking donations

Dealing with this winter’s high home heating costs is one thing, but the problem is magnified if you are already behind on utility bills.
That’s why the Lawrence Community Interfaith Initiative and local social service agencies have launched a program to help households where utility service was shut off get services restarted.
The program is called “Turn It On!” and is designed to solicit donations to pay to have service restored for individuals or families. In September, more than 350 Lawrence households had service shut off, Turn It On! spokesman Steve Ozark said he was told by Aquila, the local natural gas service company. It takes one-twelfth of the past-due bill, one-twelfth of the hookup fee and $30 to get service restarted, Ozark said.
Donations can be made at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1245 N.H., by mail (zip code 66044) or they can be dropped off. Make the checks out to the church but note on the check that it is for the Turn It On! program. If you have questions, call Ozark in the evening at 841-5335 or e-mail him at oztalent@aol.com.