KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (SUBMITTED) -- Helping a needy family stay warm this winter will be as easy as buying bread and milk at the grocery store or going to the bank. Shoppers can share the warmth January 5 – January 31 through a fund-raiser at area Food City stores for Project Help, an emergency-assistance heating program for local residents administered by the Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee (CAC).

“Each year, we receive hundreds of requests from Knox County and Knoxville residents who simply cannot afford to heat their homes. Thanks to the generosity of KUB customers and others in the community, these people will stay warm this winter,” said Cecelia Waters, Director of Energy and Housing Services at CAC.

Food City shoppers can add $1 Project Help cards to their purchases at checkout lines, and 100 percent of the proceeds will go to help needy families and individuals. Food City will post the cards in store windows to encourage other shoppers to share the warmth with our neighbors. Home Federal joined the Project Help campaign in January 2006. Home Federal has placed donation boxes in participating branches to accept Project Help donations.

KUB customers also can donate to Project Help throughout the year when paying their utility bill. Each utility bill explains how to make a one-time donation or make a pledge to share the warmth all year. With a pledge, KUB adds the pledge amount to the customer’s bill each month.

“Last year, Project Help provided more than $146,000 of heating assistance to 859 families or individuals in the community,” said Jeanie Fox, KUB liaison to the Project Help advisory board. “The fund helps people in different situations. Some have lost their jobs in recent months. Others work but don’t make enough to support their families. Others have become ill or are disabled. And many are senior citizens whose Social Security check just isn’t enough.”

Project Help helps pay for electricity, natural gas, kerosene, heating oil, or wood for residents who could not otherwise heat their homes. Recipients include the elderly and disabled, single parents, and families with fixed or low incomes.

CAC’s Center for Energy and Housing Services administers Project Help funding and has a number of other programs to help families in need. Created in 1964, the Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee is a local public agency serving the community with a comprehensive range of federal, state, and locally funded programs. CAC promotes family self-sufficiency and independent living.

For more information, call the CAC Center for Energy and Housing Services at 637-6700.

(This information was submitted by KUB.)