Nelson Weekly - Paying it forward to heat homes

More people are turning off the heating in their homes as the cost-of-living bites deeper and the Fifeshire Foundation is looking for more superannuants who do not need their winter energy payment to pay it forward and help keep families warm.

Several years ago, Community Action Nelson alongside the foundation initiated a programme where superannuants could donate their government winter energy payment and along with other donations. Last year, donations totalled close to $10,000 and Fifeshire Foundation ran a Winter Grants programme alongside the pay it forward scheme.  That helped 161 families warm their homes by either covering some of their power costs or receiving one of the 73 loads of firewood delivered around Nelson and Tasman.

This year, the foundation’s executive officer Shanine Hermsen says it is tougher for more families and nominations have been flooding in since the opening date for winter grant nominations at the beginning of May.

“In the past, we used to help with the ‘nice to haves’, but over the years that has changed to a lot more challenging needs. We’re seeing families with two incomes who can’t make ends meet and this helps them stay warm through winter.

“We’ve got stories of people who literally can’t put the heating on in winter because they can’t afford it, so they just stay cold and get the blankets out.”

For some, she says the rent leaves little left over for expenses each week, let alone heating. Some applications are for single mothers with young children, often with respiratory problems in a cold house. Others are pensioners – one with a heat pump that no longer works and another looking after adult children who have challenges and no money left over for heating.

Shanine says unheated houses are cold and damp, which leads to more problems, especially for those with respiratory or other health problems.

Nominations for the winter grants are submitted from various agencies rather than families making an application and then those nominations go through an approval  process with the foundation Trustees. Shanine says it enables the foundation to support families who may not apply for help themselves. Successful nominations can receive up to $500 for power or a load of firewood delivered, depending on the size of the family.

“It’s been a really amazing way to help families that need help without putting up barriers.”

She says superannuants can choose not to receive their winter energy payment if they do not need it, but she urges them to pay it forward instead.

“We always say pay it forward to us and keep it local.”

While donating a winter energy payment is one way to help other families stay warm, Shanine says anyone can make a donation to the foundation for the winter grants – or any of its grants.

“Any donations – whatever people can afford – makes a big difference.”

The foundation’s winter grants programme has also received a boost of $5,000 from forestry company, OneFortyOne’s own community grants programme which will be used towards purchasing firewood for about 25 families this winter. Whakatu Rotary are contributing $2,000 to the cause and the foundation is also partnering with Anglican Care who are supporting the winter grants programme with funding for those over the age of 60 in our community.