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Dashing through the snow
in a fuel truck all the way,
Fuel assistance is here
to help to warm the day
A day or two ago
We gave out 300 new winter coats
To keep our little ones warm
Ward off colds & sore throats...
Our youth work oh so hard
to study for their test
Resumes, mock interviews,
Hire our kids - they're the best!
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way -
What fun it is to support & help
local families every day!
From our WCAC family to yours, we thank you for your ongoing support and wish you great health and happiness in the year ahead!
- Team WCAC |
In Case You Missed It...
WCAC's Heating Systems Coordinator Rich Justice models the new winter scarf recently handmade for him by a 95-year old client in Oxford after WCAC replaced her failing furnace.
She said, "You helped keep me warm, I want to help keep you warm."
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For your advanced planning, please be advised that WCAC's offices will be closed on Monday & Tuesday, December 24th & 25th.
Offices will close early at 3 p.m. on Monday, December 31st and be closed on Tuesday, January 1st.
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Making a difference in the lives of those we serve
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"You know dear people, every day I go to the basement to look at the furnace it is so beautiful, I really do not know how to thank you. I wish my husband could see the furnace. I just came from downstairs, I did not know I was crying - it just came automatically. I pray a lot, believe me the people that help me are in my prayers forever. Again thank you from the bottom of my heart." -
87 year old from Webster
"Thank you most sincerely for all your efforts in obtaining assistance for me in paying my gas bill. It was especially helpful having received the funds during the months of the highest bills. I am aware that your work is not easy, and for that I am most appreciative. God bless you all!" -
Louise from Auburn
"I want to take this time to thank you so much for installing a new furnace for me, and also a new tank for fuel. There would be no way for me to afford a new furnace, you came to my rescue. Also, for allotting me so much for my fuel assistance. You are a big blessing to me. Again I thank you!" -
Connie from Sturbridge
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Support WCAC when you shop!
Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Worcester Community Action Council, Inc whenever you shop on AmazonSmile.
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Be a Head Start Hero!
Help Turn Up the Heat for those struggling with home heating bills!
Make a difference in the life a young person today!
Support WCAC programs with a tax-deductible donation!
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Annual Coat Drive helps keep little ones warm
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Each year WCAC conducts a coat drive in order to provide each of the children enrolled in the agency's Head Start, Early Head Start and Healthy Families programs as well as the children of teen parents enrolled in the Job & Education Center, a new winter coat. Each year the community warms our hearts with incredible generosity - and this year was no exception!
Thanks to the incredible employees of MAPFRE, National Grid, AllCom Credit Union and GloboForce, as well as incredible generosity of the TJX Foundation and Berkshire Bank Foundation, WCAC was able to provide over 303 new winter coats to little ones in need! For many of the low-income families WCAC serves, the expense of a new coat simply isn't feasible. Providing a new winter coat not only lessens the financial burden facing our families, but ensures the young children have warm, appropriate outer wear to protect them against our harsh winter weather - resulting in healthier little ones and fewer missed school days due to illness.
 Additionally, WCAC was selected as a beneficiary of the 12th Annual Burlington, Delivering Good & Good Morning America Warm Coats & Warm Hearts Coat Drive. Donations of new or gently used coats of any size can be made at the store located at 344 Greenwood Street, Worcester anytime through January 21st. Coats will be distributed to students enrolled in the JEC as well as clients of WCAC.
We - and the families we serve - are truly warmed by the community's amazing generosity!
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HOLIDAY HAPPENING AT HANOVER THEATRE
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Special performance to benefit WCAC
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 "But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round-apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that-as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys." - Fred, nephew to Ebeneezer Scrooge.
In the spirit of the season, WCAC is thrilled to once again be partnering with
The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts
for a special performance of
A Christmas Carol
on
Thursday, December 20, 2018
. A portion of all tickets sold to that evening's show will benefit WCAC's programs and services. Tickets available online or by calling the Box Office at 877-SHOW. Use promo code 'WCAC' before December 12th to secure the best seats in the house, and enjoy pre-show reception with opportunity to meet & mingle with members of the cast, hors d'oeuvres and cash bar. Please join us!
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Help available for those struggling with energy bills
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 WCAC's Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) fuel assistance and Energy Efficiency programs assist homeowners and renters with home heating bills, past due balances on utility bills, and in some cases receiving forgiveness credit and making monthly payments. Energy efficient weatherization, heating system repair and upgrades can help to stretch energy dollars.
LIHEAP officially opened November 1st and will accept applications through April 30th. Assistance can be applied towards home heating bills incurred anytime during that time frame.
Eligibility is based on the number of individuals who live in a household, their combined income, housing status and fuel type. Help is available whether a household heats with oil, gas, wood or propane.
All first time applications must complete a face-to-face interview.
New applications can be submitted at the Worcester Office located in the Denholm Building, 484 Main Street, Worcester without an appointment weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
New applications also accepted by appointment at outreach sites in Southbridge, Webster, Spencer and West Warren. Please refer to WCAC's website for details information about required documentation to apply.
CITIES/TOWNS WCAC SERVES: Worcester, Auburn, Brookfield, Boylston, Charlton, Charlton City, Charlton Depot, Douglas, Dudley, East Brookfield, Holden, Jefferson, Leicester, Cherry Valley, Rochdale, Millbury, North Brookfield, Oakham, Oxford, North Oxford, Paxton, Rutland, Southbridge, Spencer, Sturbridge, Fiskdale, Sutton, Manchaug, Warren, West Warren, Webster, West Boylston, West Brookfield. If your community is not listed, please click this
link to see which agency to contact for fuel assistance.
If you or someone you know is struggling with home heating bills, WCAC may be able to help!
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Advocacy important to Community Action efforts
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Have you or someone you know been served by one or more of WCAC's programs or services? Would you be willing to share your story? Impact statements from those we serve are critically important to persuading elected officials and funders alike of the importance of the programs and services available. Please
contact us to share your story. Or use this
link to find your state and federally elected officials to contact them by phone, by email or snail mail to encourage their continued support of and for funds critical to WCAC's programs. Your voice matters - use it for good!
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