11 Dec Project Help available for those in need
The Christmas season is upon us, and families are busy decorating, baking and buying those perfect gifts. Often, what should be a happy time is less joyous for some struggling to purchase much-needed medicine or put food on their tables, leaving little to pay their monthly utility bills.
Even with the generous community giving, dollars are stretched because the need always increases this time of year when temperatures begin to drop, which increases the cost of heating our homes.
Each month, DREMC members and employee donate an average of $2,500 to Project Help, an assistance program where people add a dollar or more to their electric bills or drop donations into containers located at each district office.
All the money collected through Project Help goes back to the county where it originated to help qualifying elderly and disabled members pay their heating costs. DREMC does not decide who receives assistance; we simply serve as a mechanism for collecting the money and getting those donations to caring partners, listed at right.
A Marshall County member recently found himself on the receiving side of Project Help after having donated to the program for many years.
All these years I added something to my electric bill, I never imagined I would be the one that was helped,” the member said.
If you haven’t signed up to be a Project Help contributor, please join us in giving. During the month of December, our Member Service Representatives are distributing brochures that describe the program and include a monthly donation form. Simply complete the form, and return it to DREMC via your bill payment or at any of our local offices. We have also included the form on page 26 of your December issue of The Tennessee Magazine, and plan to send our members bill inserts in January to increase the awareness of the Project Help program – both the giving and receiving sides.
If you’d like to join us in donating to Project Help, please click here for the donation form.
If you have questions about qualifying for Project Help, please call or visit the local assistance agency in your community that partners with DREMC to offer the Project Help program.
WHERE TO GO FOR ASSISTANCE
Bedford County
Bedford County Good Samaritan Association
(931) 684-1189
Coffee County
Coffee County Good Samaritan Association
(931) 728-5122
Franklin County
Franklin County Good Samaritan Association
(931) 967-9336
Giles County
Giles County Help Center
(931) 363-8655
Marshall County
Marshall County Good Samaritan Association
(931) 359-4806
Maury County
Maury County Good Samaritan Association
(931) 388-3840
Moore County
Moore County Senior Center
(931) 759-7317