19th Annual Hardee’s Rise & Shine for Heat Benefit Focuses on Illinois & Missouri Qualified Needy Residents Requiring Assistance With Their Delinquent Heating Bills
650 Area Firefighters, Media, Social Service, Business, Political and Civic leaders; and board members of Heatupstlouis.org are preparing to help raise dough and awareness on being without heat as a health and safety issue during the 19th Annual Hardee’s “Rise & Shine for Heat” Benefit. This year’s campaign theme is “Have a Heart…Heat A Home,” which is scheduled one day after Valentine’s Day, on Friday, February 15, during breakfast. This year’s goal is $400,000.
Heatupstlouis.org (in its 19th year of charity operations) began its winter heating season with a 60% increase of requests from Illinois and Missouri residents, who are elderly, physically disabled and low-income families, according to Heat-Up officials. The volunteers will be wearing Hardee’s official money-pocket aprons, and direct customers to the two Hardee’s offerings of made-from-scratch Sausage Biscuits and Egg Biscuits, at the special price of $1.00 during breakfast only, on February 15. They will also accept extra donations. 100% of the morning sales and donations will go to Illinois and Missouri needy residents through Heatupstlouis.org consortium of social service partners, for all forms of heating.
A “Fill-Up A Canister, Heat A Home,” canister collection campaign, at about 55 area Hardee’s locations, will lead up to the benefit event day and end on February 14. Heatupstlouis.org also invited area businesses to do bulk preorders of the two specially priced products at a $1.00 each for their offices. The pre-order deadline is Wednesday, February 13 by 12 Noon.
Heatupstlouis.org officials stressed that this winter so far has been brutal on the pocketbooks of the entire St. Louis region. In addition, it advocates that utility affordability is a long-term problem for many area residents. Such problems have caused house fires and fatalities because of unsafe methods of heating, due to the use of space heaters as primary heating sources, instead of supplemental.
“Heatupstlouis.org helps save lives,” said St Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson, co-chair of the regional, volunteer charity’s Health & Safety Committee. “Wintertime is the most dangerous time for home and apartment fires. It’s important to work with the utilities and keep connected to a primary heating source and if you need help contact us via Heatupstlouis.org for help.” Jenkerson, also represents the Fire Chiefs Association of Greater St. Louis. “
This year’s honorary chairs, include: Laurie and Tom Trotter, partners with the locally owned Hardee’s units; Michael Moehn, Chairman and President, Ameren Missouri; Brian Leonard of Ameren Illinois; St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson; St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann; St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger; St. Clair County Chairman Mark Kern; Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson, Fire Chief Association of Greater St. Louis(MO/IL); St. Louis Cardinals Firebird; Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt; Michael P. McMillan, President/CEO, Urban League of Greater St. Louis; Regional Public Safety consultant, Gregory J. Favre; Bishop Elijah Hankerson, III, President, Clergy Coalition of Metropolitan; Denise Liebel, executive director, United Services for Children; and Pamela R. Walker, a regional health consultant. Liebel is Board President-Elect and Walker is current Board President of Heat-Up St. Louis; Reverend Earl E. Nance, Jr., Chair Emeritus; Chair Emeritus J. Kim Tucci; and Missouri Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe.
Since its inception 19 years ago, Heatupstlouis.org and it’s sister projects have impacted the lives of more than 510,000 people. All administrative costs are underwritten by a 58-member all-volunteer board of directors. The charity currently services about 34 Missouri and Illinois counties, including the City of St. Louis. Anyone wishing to donate or get help needs to go to: www.Heatupstlouis.org.