Volunteers bring light, hope to woman without electricity

WEST CHESTER » Ann had no electricity for a year and a half. As a result, her electric furnace didn’t heat in the winter, and her window air conditioner didn’t cool in the summer. She had no refrigerator, no television and no light after sunset.

With a propane stove as her only source of heat, she would sleep on her neighbor’s sofa on really cold nights. When asked why she is still living there, she replied, “Where would I go?”

After going through a divorce, Ann struggled to find steady employment and purchased a mobile home. The home’s hidden issues sapped the money she had received from the divorce settlement. Unable to pay her bills, the electric company shut off her power.

Good Works staff helped Ann apply for a reduced rate from the electric company and made the home repairs required to have her power turned back on. Volunteers also repaired several holes in her roof and increased her home’s security.

“Now I can read at night and be warm in my own bed,” said Ann, ecstatic to have light and heat again.

Your donation will bring hope to struggling neighbors like Ann. Give at GivetoSharetheWarmth.org or mail your check payable to United Way of Chester County to 495 Thomas Jones Way, Suite 302, Exton, PA 19341. Please indicate “Share the Warmth” in the memo line of your check, and be sure to indicate if you wish for your donation to remain anonymous.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Good Works volunteers repair electrical outlets prior to power being restored.