United Way hands out space heaters to those in need

By Kirsten Stokes

The United Way of Greater St. Joseph is providing free compact space heaters to St. Joseph residents who currently don’t have heating sources in their homes. 

In a December board meeting, the United Way approached the idea of giving space heaters to residents for the upcoming winter weather. 

“We asked the board if they would allocate a portion of funds that we raised through the annual campaign each year to be able to purchase space heaters”, said Kylee Strough, United Way President. 

Thanks to the generosity of donors to the annual campaign, about 180 heaters have been purchased with more to come for those in need.

“They are in stock at United Way, at Community Services and Interserv,” Strough said. “So that way, people can go to the agency that best matches their location, hours of availability … etcetera.”

Strough recommends calling the United Way ahead of time to ensure a heater is available before getting out on the snow-covered roads. 

Though the heaters are compact, it’s at least a start to keeping residents warm and safe.

“We do recognize they’re small space heaters,” Strough said. “They aren’t going to fix a lot … it’s just a try to cut the chill off.” 

Strough said they went through different models of heaters to make sure that the one they chose was safe and could automatically power off if pushed over.  

“We want to make sure families actually read the instructions package with the space heater and use it according to the instructions from the manufacturer, just for their own safety,” Strough said.  

With the additional heat sources, heating bills can go up. You have issues with  your natural gas furnace, Strough said to contact Community Action Partnership to ask about qualifications for Spire’s repair fund.