Flagler Cares, the social service non-profit celebrating its 10th anniversary, is marking the occasion with a fund-raiser to “Keep the Holiday Lights On” by encouraging people to sponsor one or more struggling household’s electric bill for a month over the Christmas season. Each sponsorship amounts to $100 donation, with every cent going toward payment of a local power bill. (See the donation page here.)
Holiday toy and food drives drives tap into founts of community generosity, but can at times miss one of the more pressing needs among households teetering on poverty: According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, low-income households spend 8.1 percent of their income on energy costs, on average, compared to 2.3 percent for non-low-income households, and for those 65 and over, the median energy burden is 4.2 percent, compared to 3.1 percent for all households. In Flagler County, almost one in three resident is 65 and over, and 9.1 percent of the population lives in poverty, according to the latest Census figures.
Flagler Cares sought to bridge some of that gap. The “Keep the Holiday Lights On” fund-raiser was the answer. Every time another household is sponsored, a light goes on on top of a house at Flagler Cares’ fundraising page. (Twenty-six houses are lit up as of this writing.)
“This was Cheryl’s brain child, because there are so many great resources for children at the holiday time and gifts, but a lot of families are really just struggling with basic needs,” said Carrie Baird, executive director of Flagler Cares since its inception. She was referring to Cheryl Tristam, the organization’s office and partnership manager. Baird and Tristam were speaking on this morning’s Free For All Fridays program with David Ayres. “So in celebration of our upcoming 10-year anniversary, we came up with the concept of securing donations from our community to support households to keep the holiday lights on. So for $100 we can help a household make sure that they can make their electric bill, and maybe they can use that that extra money to buy a gift for their grandchild or something else that they need this time of year.”
Florida Power and Light, which services the near-totality of households in Flagler County, estimates that the typical power bill for a household using 1,000 kwh runs to $121.19.
The goal of the fun-raiser, which Flagler Cares would happily exceed, is to support at least 100 families (10 households for each of the 10 years that Flagler Cares has been in existence). “A lot of the programs that are available,” Tristam said, “are meant to help families with children, and what we’re hoping with this particular program is to help people that are living on fixed incomes, and maybe change the whole experience this holiday season, where maybe a grandparent can host a meal, because now they don’t have to worry about that electric bill.”
Flagler Cares will start taking applications for the utility fund later this month. Because of its existing programs, the organization already has procedures in place to vet people for this type of assistance, ensuring that only the needy quality. “So it’s not something that we have to create separately from what we normally do in our regular work day,” Tristam said. “We will be vetting them for whatever their situation is. They’ll be sharing bank statements with us. They will be making an application. We want to know how many people live in their home. We’ll be taking all of those things into consideration.”
It isn’t the only energy assistance program available by any means: even FPL provides one. But Flagler Cares’s program ensures that the money raised in Flagler will help Flagler County residents. Donors could sponsor a theoretical block of homes if they so wish: during Baird’s and Tristam’s appearance on Free For All this morning, David Ayres, the host of the show, made a $500 contribution in the station’s name, lighting up five houses.
“I just hope that everyone sort of gathers all of their holiday cheer and considers helping someone in their community, whether it be through this program that we have launched, or in whatever way that they’re comfortable, but to watch out for your neighbor.”
