Small investment, but a big difference
If you were asked to list major causes of homelessness, the chances are utility costs probably wouldn’t be included. But for some Oklahomans, financial emergencies make it impossible to keep essential electric and gas service.
Most of us take for granted our ability to control the temperature of a home, cook our food, or banish the night just by flipping a switch. That’s not the case for those who reach out to the Salvation Army for emergency help to pay a utility bill. In most communities, the Salvation Army is able to help only a handful of households per month because of limited funds.
While serving on the Salvation Army Central Oklahoma advisory board for seven years, I have seen firsthand how small investments of time and money, collectively, can have a major impact on the lives of families, especially children. Yet over the years the need has grown while funding has not. A small donation per month on your utility bill is another way to help make a life-changing difference for families, especially now as summer temperatures are on the rise.
July is Home Energy Aid Month — Oklahomans Helping Others with Utilities. For many who need help paying utility bills to stay in their homes, a donation of any size can be enough to make the difference. Helping a person stay in his own home costs far less than the estimated $8,000 to help a homeless individual back to a stable housing situation.
Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co., Oklahoma Natural Gas and Public Service Co. of Oklahoma have long been partners with the Salvation Army, providing matching funds and making it easy for you to donate. ONG customers can donate to the Share the Warmth Program; PSO’s program is called Light A Life, while OG&E has the Lend-A-Hand program. Contributions to the programs are transferred to a local Salvation Army Corps or Service Extension to administer the program in a given community, screening applicants and distributing benefits. Households unable to pay utility bills because of financial emergencies are eligible.
There also are special events planned for this month. In the Oklahoma City area, I hope you will join me and others for the pancake breakfast at the Salvation Army Chesapeake Energy Center of Hope, 1001 N Pennsylvania, from 7-10 a.m. on July 27. Tickets are $5.
As Helen Keller said, “The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of tiny pushes of each honest worker.” It doesn’t take much from each of us to make a world of difference.