Heat assistance need greater than ever

To the Editor:
    While there are incremental gains in our economy and the price of home heating oil and propane has dropped significantly, there remains a portion of our community which struggles to afford to heat their homes.
    Seasonal employment even in a strengthening economy still means no income for the off-season. The age and quality of our housing stock hasn’t changed from last winter, meaning that many local homeowners have dwellings which are difficult to heat. These challenges remain despite the lower cost of heating fuels.

    The town of Greenville continues to support our most vulnerable community members with a local fuel assistance fund. Unfortunately, this fund is dwindling and we are concerned that we may exhaust this fund before the end of this heating season. The persistent cold temperatures in the past 30 days are driving up demand.
    The town of Greenville would gladly accept any monetary donations to this fund: all donations are tax-deductible. And thank you to the many annual donors who have helped us to get this far into the winter heating season!

John Simko,
Town Manager
Greenville