Sturbridge Friends Pitch in to Help Seniors
The following article is taken from today’s (July 16, 2008) Worcester Telegram and Gazette as written by reporter Craig Semon. Many thanks to Craig from the REAS Foundation for an outstanding story about our efforts.
Friends Pitch in to Help Seniors
Soaring energy costs are targeted
By Craig S. Semon TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
STURBRIDGE— The Residential Energy Assistance for Seniors Foundation kicked off a fundraising drive yesterday at the Senior Center to help the elderly with energy bills or help them find ways to save energy.
One of the fundraising campaigns — the $10K Circle of Friends— is seeking 1,000 Sturbridge families or individuals to donate $10 each, for a total of $10,000.
There also is a $10K Circle of Businesses, which seeks businesses donors. Both campaigns end Nov. 15.
A three-member Awards Committee will review applications and make awards. It promises to preserve confidentiality as it reviews the financial information of applicants. The committee consists of Thomas Creamer, the foundation’s executive director; Jennifer Morrison, president of Sterling Engineering; and Kay Malloy.
Town Administrator James J. Malloy, vice chairman of the board of directors, said, “We’re going to take some positive action to try to help some of the people who are going to be impacted most this winter, and upcoming winters, by the oil prices that we are currently facing right now,” Mr. Malloy said.
Ginger Peabody, a member of the Council on Aging, urged seniors to swallow their pride and sign up.
“With these rising costs — heat, food, medicine — you need help. The thing I fear the most is the pride that seniors have, the false pride. We’ve always done it on our own,” Ms. Peabody said. “Seniors, take advantage of this program. Try.”
The foundation was founded by Selectman Scott A. Garieri and Mr. Creamer, a Planning Board member. According to its mission statement, it intends to “deliver services in confidence and with dignity to each recipient.” Only Sturbridge residents are eligible for assistance.
Ms. Morrisson announced that Sterling Engineering would donate up to $1,000 in the form of 10 percent matches for every business-corporate donation. Meanwhile, Tasse Fuel Co.has donated $1,000 and the Sturbridge Police Patrolmen’s Association has donated $500. The foundation is also working with the Police Department, Sturbridge Council on Aging, The Friends of Sturbridge Seniors, Shaw’s Supermarket, The Sturbridge Times Magazine, Southbridge Savings Bank and Yankee Spirits.
Police Detective Mark Saloio, the foundation’s chief community outreach officer, said the rising price of fuel hits senior citizens on fixed incomes the hardest.
“We’re talking about a group of people who have paid their dues to our society for a long period of time,” he said. “They are on fixed incomes and some of those incomes might not even have changed in five, 10, 15 or more years. They’re going to be affected more significantly than most of us.”
Detective Saloio said a wide variety of professions have come together to help the elderly.
“It’s important to stress that this organization is apolitical,” he said. “Our objective is to take care of senior citizens. That is our one objective. We want to try to come up with a way of putting assistance (where it’s needed) whether it be energy costs, whether it be supplementing fuel and oil assistance with monetary donations, with educating them on different conservation things that they can do around the home and different things that they can try to do to minimize their expenditures over time.”
Police Chief Thomas Ford praised the foundation’s outreach work.
“From a police department standpoint, we’re a very visible entity in town and we’re service providers and it’s important for us to be out in front, taking care of this certain segment of our community,” he said. “They require a special type of policing, a special level of service, and we’re happy to be involved. The entire police department is behind it.”