PROVIDENCE — The all-time coldest temperature recorded in Rhode Island was -28° F in the Wood River Junction section of Richmond on January 11, 1942. Rhode Islanders might have felt like this winter rivaled that extreme, however. With a cold snap that lasted several days this year, most homeowners saw an increased use of heating oil, natural gas or electricity, which raised utility bills exponentially. Some families may have even run out of oil to warm their homes had it not been for the Diocese of Providence’s Keep the Heat On program.
Now in its 20th season of aid, Keep the Heat On received $154,080.28 in donations from the people of the diocese, demonstrating their commitment to this crucial program. It gave needy residents $228,904.77 for heating oil, $1,368.69 for gas and $258.00 for electric bills for an overall total of $230,531.46.
Those who turn to the diocese for aid are required to have exhausted other, secular sources first. This year, some of those agencies had already run out of money to provide assistance by mid-January. Even into early May, overnight temperatures have dropped below 50° F on some nights. For elderly residents, that could still equate to dangerous conditions.
Secretary for Catholic Charities and Social Ministry James Jahnz spoke to Rhode Island Catholic about the impact the cold winter had on the program.
“This year saw an uncommon season for us. For most of the winter, we were ‘ahead of the game’ in that demand was pacing a little behind the average year, but once February hit and we saw some pretty cold temperatures combined with some cuts in assistance programs, our demand suddenly became very heavy.”
Consequently, the program saw an increase of close to 20 percent over last heating season, both in the amount of funds that we provided and the number of households we helped.
“This resulted in a slightly higher than average season in funding provided for the program,” Jahnz said.
Marking the 20th anniversary of its establishment in October, Keep the Heat On has now provided a grand total of $4,602,203.60 to 18,452 households. Jahnz stated that diocesan workers look forward to commemorating the anniversary this fall.
“Bishop [Thomas J.] Tobin started this program as a way to assist households battle a sharp rise in home heating costs and over the years, more than 18,000 households have benefitted from this program.”
Jahnz called that “not an insignificant number.”
He credits Bishop Tobin for his “strong emphasis on Keep the Heat On during his episcopate” and the “robust financial support over the years from pastors and parishioners, businesses and foundations, as well as so many individuals who give so generously.”
Jahnz continued: “This relief provided and the peace of mind given by the Keep the Heat On program means so much to the tens of thousands who have been helped through Keep the Heat On. To quote one of our beneficiaries, ‘I’m warm right now because (Keep the Heat On) paid my gas bill.’ There can be no better way to thank our donors than letting them know that is the effect of their assistance.”
