Office of Human Services receives United Way donation

The United Way of Lackawanna, Wayne and Pike recently presented the Pike County Office of Human Services with a $10,000 check through its “Gift of Warmth” program. According to the county, the fund helps provide heating assistance “for households experiencing emergency situations.”

The Offices of Human Services will use this gift to assist Pike residents with subsiding fueling and heating costs this winter. According to the Untied Way, more than 160 families in Lackawanna and Wayne counties received the Gift of Warmth last year, helping to provide emergency fuel/utility assistance and emergency furnace repairs, as well as other needs to keep people of all ages warm.

The United Way further explained that the fund is closely monitored by trained social workers and volunteers and is used for “extreme emergencies.” The organization gave an example of a family that was helped with the Gift of Warmth: “A single-parent family with four children was nearly left homeless last December when their furnace broke and began leaking kerosene onto the floor. The parent’s wages were not enough to cover repair costs, and space heaters were their only source of heat. Again, this family received the Gift of Warmth and celebrated the holiday knowing they would remain together in their own home and safe from harm.”

For more information, contact the Human Services office at 570-296-3434.