Heat Up St. Louis utility bill assistance donation program.

One of the main programs for seniors, the disabled, and households with young children is Heat Up St. Louis. The program is run as a non-profit and it collects donations from the community. The money raised is used to help qualified resident pay their utility bills, including heating and maybe summer cooling costs.

The non-profit will also hold a number of fund raisers across the region, including many with local businesses and civic groups. The money raised can be used to assist with Ameren MO, Laclede Gas, and Ameren Illinois bills. The program is all about neighbors helping neighbors, so please contribute to it if you can.

The application process is enforced by the Heat Up St. Louis organization. They will require the applicant’s name, proof of hardship, street address, zip code, daytime telephone and city. All of this, and more, will be required when requesting assistance. All information obtained is used to determine energy bill assistance.

Heat Up St. Louis provides year-around utility bill assistance to help people who are at risk. While most of this is for winter heating bills, there may also be some aid for paying cooling costs during the warmer months. It has been running since 2001, and thousands of at risk residents are usually assisted every year. The utility bill subsidies are issued to consumers in dozens of Missouri and Illinois counties.

The program raises hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, much of it from businesses, individuals and companies such as Ameren. The money donated is to pay for aid for the poor and also community education programs. The program may sometimes even have air conditioners to be distributed.

Local St. Louis families face many challenges. As utility and heating bill rates rise and economic hardship increases locally, the challenge of keeping people in a safe environment becomes more difficult. This is even more true for the disabled, the elderly living on fixed incomes, single parents and also working-poor families. The charity's main goal is to help the less fortunate using unsafe measures to heat their homes.

Many of those supported by Heat Up St. Louis have jobs and homes. However, maybe their incomes are just a little too low that they cannot afford to pay for what they need to live, including utility bills or food on a monthly basis. So many people requesting assistance make choices.

Some elderly people in Missouri and St. Louis that are living on fixed incomes face rising costs from all sides and sometimes believe they can endure excessive heat or cold without power. Others may try to stay warm by using gas generators or burning furniture indoors that produce deadly carbon monoxide gas. Your donations to the program can help prevent this from occurring.

Money raised can go to pay for other resources as well. This can include programs that can educate consumers on how to lower heating bills with more efficient usage and how to avoid danger when trying to stay warm.

To learn more, such as applying or donating to Heat-Up St. Louis, dial 314-241-7668. Anyone can make a tax-deductible donation to the non-profit.