CoServ donates heaters, blankets to help people stay warm this winter
The first freeze of the season had some North Texans searching for warmth in their homes on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Whether it’s a lack of insulation, a broken heater or one that doesn’t work adequately, it’s a problem social service agencies like All Community Outreach (ACO) in Allen and Christian Community Action (CCA) in Lewisville know all too well.
These organizations rely on heater and blanket donations from the CoServ Charitable Foundation, so they always have them on-hand to give to clients in need.
“We’re always thankful for CoServ. This year, I’m kind of nervous because we had some left over from last year, so I only asked for 20 [heaters],” said Daphne Houston, Director of Programs for CCA. “But since then, when the temperature dropped, we ended up getting rid of all the leftovers. We usually have some kind of cushion.”
On Nov. 13, CCF delivered 240 heaters and 140 blankets to five different agencies across North Texas. The funds to purchase the heaters and blankets comes from CoServ Members and Customers who participate in Operation Roundup, where their bill is rounded up to the nearest dollar.
For individual accounts, this totals about $6 a year but when combined with all our Members and Customers, it makes a huge impact. Not only with these blanket and heater donations every winter and fans and air condition units in the summer but with dozens of grants for nonprofit agencies across the CoServ service area.
Ed Shade, Director of Annex Operations for All Community Outreach, said the donated heaters and blankets, along with the food, clothing and other household items his agency distributes, give people the basic necessities so they can focus on other things.
“We don’t have to go out and find them the minute the cold front hits,” Ed said. “It’s immediate. They come in saying, ‘I need a blanket or a space heater.’ These are the things that keep them going.”
That one space heater could be the difference between life or death.
“For our families it’s helpful to know that even though they can’t move or reinsulate their house they have a way to stay warm,” Daphne said.
