On October 31, 2005, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin began the “Keep the Heat On” challenge as home heating costs reached record highs.
According to James Jahnz, coordinator of the emergency assistance network for the diocese, last year’s program provided $189,690 in assistance to 1,411 families in need. The Diocese of Providence kicked off the 13th annual “Keep the Heat On” campaign on Tuesday, Nov. 21, beginning another winter of providing emergency heating assistance to families in need.
“There can be no argument that Bishop Tobin’s ‘Keep the Heat On’ Fund has had, and continues to have, an enormous effect on thousands of Rhode Island homes,” said Jahnz. “Noting that there were gaps in heating assistance programs in the state, Bishop Tobin established this program in 2005 and it has been helping those in need ever since. Through ‘Keep the Heat On,’ we are able to help people heat their homes that quite simply have no other place to turn. One recent note from a recipient encapsulated the need for the program quite succinctly, ‘You’re a life saver.’”
“The impact that Bishop Tobin has made over the past 12-plus years through this program with his support has had a lasting impression not only on the people of the Diocese of Providence but throughout every community in the state.”
If you would like to help local families this winter, please send tax-deductible donations to: “Keep the Heat On,” One Cathedral Square, Providence, RI, 02903. A text donation of $10 can also be made by texting the word HEAT to 27722 or a $25 donation by texting the word HEATRI to 27722.
If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please visit the website at www.heatri.com or call 401-421-7833 for more information.
