The Neighbor Fund offers emergency energy bill payment help

PEARL RIVER — Remember, this winter, that unexpected misfortune respects no wealth or position or status. A financial reversal, an unexpected medical problem, an accident or any other kind of emergency could happen to any of us. That’s why the emergency help that The Neighbor Fund has offered the community for more than 20 years is so vitally important. The Neighbor Fund provides critical home-heating assistance for those O&R customers who find themselves unable to pay their home heating fuel bills because of emergency financial conditions. The Neighbor Fund provides a one-time grant for electric customers of $250 and for heating fuel customers of $250. Since 1983, the Fund has awarded over $3.2 million in grants to more than 14,000 households enduring financial hardship. The Salvation Army administers The Neighbor Fund program, evaluates Neighbor Fund applications and makes the grants. Last year, O&R made over 300 grants totaling more than $100,000. Half that grant total comes from O&R customers’ contributions. That amount is matched dollar-for-dollar by the shareholders of Consolidated Edison, Inc., O&R’s parent company. Grants from The Neighbor Fund are awarded to pay for home energy costs no matter what type of fuel is used —-electricity, oil, natural gas, propane, wood or coal. The grant money does not have to be repaid, and there are no age limits or income guidelines to be met. To qualify for The Neighbor Fund grant, individuals must have an account with O&R and must already exhaust all governmental resources available for financial assistance. They must also provide supporting documentation of emergency/crisis circumstances, including medical bills and unemployment notification. If you need The Neighbor Fund’s assistance, please contact The Salvation Army offices in Spring Valley (845-352-9577), Middletown (845-343-0821) or Port Jervis (845-856-3214) or The Neighbor Fund community outreach centers at RCDC (845-352-1400), Kiryas Joel Social Services (845-783-7656), Village of Kiryas Joel Community Service (783-8300) and the Community Outreach Center at (845-356-9600) or the Community Action Program of Rockland at its Spring Valley office (845-352-4167) or its Haverstraw office (845-429-9241). To make a contribution to The Neighbor Fund so it can continue its important work, add $1 to any energy bill payment or write a check payable to The Neighbor Fund, Attn: Linda Feger, 1 Blue Hill Plaza, Pearl River, New York 10965.