Col#293-8/21/26
KEEPING WARM WILL COST MORE
By
Richard Davis
As we approach the 22nd year of the Windham County Heat Fund people will find it harder to be able to afford to keep warm this winter. The price of fuel has been directly affected by the actions of a deranged president who started a war to divert attention from his actions as a pedophile in the Epstein scandal.
The average price of home heating fuel in Vermont this week is $4.60 gallon with a range of $4.59 to $5.50. Prices have increased 18.1 percent over the past six weeks and they show no sign of going down. That means that 150 gallons of home heating fuel will cost at least $688.50. It also means that for the lowest income people among us, heating their homes will mean difficult priority decisions.
Elderly people living on fixed incomes will have to find ways to simply stay alive and ward off hypothermia as they move into one room in their homes or apartments and rely on two or three sweaters to keep warm. A lot of people are going to die because the United States has a president who does not value human life, other than his.
There is a small bit of good news in relation to the Windham County Heat Fund. Our new web site is up and running thanks to Muse Arts in Brattleboro. It is simple and easy to navigate. You can read about our mission and our history, and you can either download applications or fill one out online. Donations can also be made using Venmo and PayPal. The address is: www.wcheatfund.org Check it out and let us know what you think.
Our usual fundraising goal is $50,000 but last year we expected a loss of federal funding and we raised over $100,000 and the demand was greater than ever. Trump is still talking about eliminating the federal department that provides fuel assistance and, if that happens, he will create the perfect storm of no federal support and rising fuel prices.
Last year we heard from people who have never asked for help before. They cried and apologized for asking for our help. We were happy to help them, and we expect this year to be no different. People are struggling for a variety of reasons, and the economy continues to only help the richest of the rich.
It is warm now, but the heating season is not that far away, and this is the time when people who have the luxury of planning ahead try to figure out a household budget. It will be a depressing prospect as millions of people are being thrown off of Medicaid. They will lose the ability to take care of their health and they will no longer be able to afford prescription medications.
We are facing one of the worst winters, from an economic perspective, in the history of this country. If the war continues and Trump continues his assault on the unprivileged a lot of people will die.
It is not too early to make a donation to the heat fund. You can make a direct deposit at Brattleboro Savings and Loan or send a check to 63 Cedar St, Brattleboro, VT 05301. Now, using our web site is the easiest way to donate at: www.wcheatfund.org
