We have heat (and the lack of it) on our minds this week. As anyone you bump into on the street or at the store will tell you, yes, it’s wicked cold.
Winter is about keeping out the cold. With boots, coats buttoned to the collar, and thick wool blankets, Mainers know how to do this well. Yet the season is also about keeping warmth in, and there’s no better way to do this than by sharing it with those who need it.
In his interview for our story about heating assistance, Community Energy Fund co-founder Robert Clifford spoke about the importance of the “eyes and ears” that keep all members of a community safe.
Heating assistance providers are working hard to meet our neighbors’ fuel needs this season and they are just as important as our networks of friends, family, neighbors, first responders, doctors, and the other members of our communities. These are the people we rely on to look out for one another; whether that means offering a helping hand with a shovel, sharing a warm meal, or helping chop wood.
Warmth is about connection too. As our heating assistance providers deliver wood and fuel to those in need, we can play a role in keeping our community safe by looking out for each other, sharing kindness, and working together to make resources go farther.
Someone who cared a lot about this community was Bobby Whear, who died Friday, Jan. 17 after battling leukemia. Interviewing friends and former colleagues of Whear’s made us grateful for the warmth people like him bring to our community.In his absence, we’re all going to have to work just a little bit harder to keep things warm.
Not everybody feels comfortable asking for help when they need it, and sometimes it can be easy to forget that resources are out there. Making sure everyone gets what they need comes down to our ability to notice when a hand might be of help.
