CVPS donates $10K to Shareheat, offers $100,000 match

Central Vermont Public Service today announced a $10,000 company donation and $100,000 in matching funds for CVPS Shareheat, a last-resort program that provides emergency fuel assistance to hundreds of Vermont families each year.
‘With federal cutbacks in the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, Shareheat will be more important than ever this winter,’ CVPS spokesman Steve Costello said. ‘As a result, CVPS is making a special $10,000 donation to Shareheat, in addition to a pledge of $100,000 in funds to match customer contributions dollar for dollar.’
The $10,000 grant will be divided and paid immediately to five community action agencies that administer Shareheat funds, with the $100,000 going out as customer contributions are received and matched this winter. The matching pool will also include $21,000 contributed by the Vermont Country Store and Passumpsic Savings Bank, which have made significant donations to help those in need. The Vermont Country Store contributed $16,000 and Passumpsic Savings Bank donated $5,000 toward the matching pool this year.
‘VCS and Passumpsic have been steadfast supporters of Shareheat for many years. These funds will be critically important this winter, serving as the last resort for community action agencies working with Vermonters in need,’ Costello said. ‘They are available to Vermonters who face heating crises yet have never sought assistance and suddenly find themselves in need of help, and folks who have exhausted all other forms of assistance or who do not qualify for other assistance.’
Businesses that would like to join The Vermont Country Store and Passumpsic Savings Bank as Shareheat Business Partners should contact Costello at CVPS.
Contributions from customers should be made payable to the CVPS Shareheat Fund. Donations may be mailed with a CVPS payment, or sent separately to CVPS Shareheat, 77 Grove St., Rutland, VT 05701.
Vermonters who need help with a winter heating crisis should contact their local community action agency for assistance.
CVPS Shareheat was created in 1987, and has provided and leveraged millions of dollars in heating aid over the years. CVPS initially provided $50,000 annually in matching funds, but has increased the company’s matching donation, which comes from shareholders, in recent years.
All Shareheat funds go directly to the five community action agencies within the CVPS service territory. Each donation is directed back to the donor’s community, so their contribution helps their neighbors. Matching dollars are applied on a first-come, first-served basis.
CVPS 12.27.2011