Donations to Neighbor Heat Fund.

One of the main ways to get assistance with National Fuel Gas energy and utility bills is the Neighbor for Neighbor Heat Fund. It relies on donations and was created to help seniors as well as the disabled keep their utility service on, especially during the winter months.

This particular program is paid for by shareholder and employee donations. All money raised is to be used to prevent disconnection of a qualified customers heating or utility service. Money can also be used to purchase home heating fuel or to pay current or past due energy bills.

While most of the assistance is for National Fuel Gas households in Pennsylvania that have a disabled member of their family or senior living at home, assistance may also be paid out to those who are currently receiving unemployment benefits. Any type of aid paid out will of course depend on donations that were made to the program from people in the community.

As indicated, contributions and donations will always be needed. Customers of National Fuel, whether you are a business or individual, can donate as much or as little as they would like too. The donation you make can even be as little as a $1. All contributions are tax-deductible. You can donate by adding the funds to your monthly bills and checking the appropriate box, or call National Fuel.

The program is not intended to be a charity type program so anyone who applies for and receives help must have made at least four previous payments to their heating bills within a 12-month period. Assistance from the government will not be considered in when reviewing those past payments.

 

 

 

 

The program can even help those people who are not qualified for programs such as LIHEAP or that may have used up all o their government funding. So Neighbor For Neighbor funds can even be used to help someone pay their utilities during an emergency. Funding is mainly determined by donations, but each qualified household may be able to receive up to $400 for their utilities and it is also a once per season program.

There is a formal application process in place, including interviews. During this time frame the applicant needs to provide proof of identification, monthly expenses and income. There are a total of 14 human service organizations across Pennsylvania that provide the screening and process applications for the neighbor program. These centers will also accept donations.

To apply or contribute to the program dial 1-800-365-3234.