When weather trends cooler, many take time to consider our heat source(s) for the coming winter months. Learning you need a new furnace is not generally a moment of joy; but looking on the bright side- there are better circumstances than others in which to learn of it.
In Lila’s case, she was lucky to find out about her failing furnace during summer, leaving her a cushion of time to figure out how to replace it before falling temps affected her. Lila was aging and on a fixed income with little wiggle room. She did have an adult son, however, who was experienced in HVAC and freely offered to install a new unit- if Lila could find a way to get one.
In the very same city, another furnace went out, but now it was September and closer to winter. This furnace belonged to Adam & Kayla, who worked full-time and had two young sons to care for. The same time their furnace went out, Adam became injured, and unable to work or stand on his own. Though they hadn’t been behind on any bills at the time, they also didn’t have any savings to help with the unexpected expenses and gap in income; nor any connections to help install a new furnace- if they could find a way to get one.
By utilizing support and partnerships, Bridges of Hope was able to assist with getting a furnace for both of these homes. Because Lila’s son had helped get her new furnace up and running, the cost for her need was 1/3 of the price for the same service that was done for our family without any connections or support.
If you have a skill, talent or trade, we need you! As a Christ based human service agency our job is to advocate for our client’s needs, and as a non-profit we must be conscientious stewards of the limited assets we’ve been entrusted with; this is where partnerships within our community become so vital! Many of our client’s needs can be simple in nature, or, maybe have prerequisites to be solved before the main problem can be deduced. Bridges of Hope would benefit greatly by having volunteers on hand that would be willing to give free estimates, real diagnosis, and trusted advice in situations where repair may be needed–such as automotive, electrical, furnaces, plumbing, and with large appliances like fridges.
In many situations, having a trusted service partner that can steer us in the right direction or assist with the repair themselves saves a lot of time and money, which then enables us to serve more efficiently, and in greater capacity! We’ve served approximately 1,500 households in 2018; your support helps send a message of hope when people have nowhere else to turn during crisis. Thank you for helping build bridges in the Lakes Area!
For more information on how you can help, please call our office at 218-825-7682.
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