Heat-Up St. Louis Encourages A “Gift of Warmth” with Ameren/UE Donated Gift Certificates In Return For A Tax-Deductible Donation – Keeping the Needy Warm and Safe!
Last Month – Heat-Up St. Louis Distributed More than $75,000 In Utility Assistance
Heat-Up St. Louis, an independent, regional education and energy assistance charity encourages area electric customers to help it give a “Gift of Warmth” to area needy households, who can’t afford to pay their Ameren/UE electric and natural gas home heating bills in Illinois or the electric bills in Missouri. Heat-Up St. Louis, an all-volunteer charity covering 17 Missouri and Illinois Counties, including the City of St. Louis announced that it has more than 150 low-income families, currently being processed, who could really use these gift certificates to help reduce their winter/fall bills. Last month, Heat-Up St. Louis distributed more than $75,000 in utility assistance.
Heat-Up St. Louis officials also remind the public that wintertime has the highest incidents of home and apartment fires, because many low-income families may attempt to use unsafe methods of heating their homes. Charity officials have previously witnessed the use of natural gas customers using all space-heaters, as primary heating sources around draperies, and carpet, and bar-B-Q pits as furnaces in the living and bedrooms.
“It’s truly tough times throughout the St. Louis region — with the hike in home heating, and gasoline to get to work or the doctor’s office,” said Kevin X. McGowan, board president of Heat-Up St. Louis. “This holiday season is a great time to remember that there are thousands of families, seniors and this disabled without heat and are facing medical and safety issues.”
Heat-Up Officials said that once the gift certificates are purchased from Ameren/UE, they can merely mail them to Heat-up St. Louis, c/o UMB Bank, P.O. Box 868, St. Louis, MO 63188. The certificates are made payable to Ameren/UE, but can be transferred over to a qualified low-income household to reconnect their utilities or stop them from being disconnected. The charity will provide a tax-deductible receipt to anyone who sends it gift certificates for utility assistance.
“The more creative ways we all can think to help keep needy households safe and warm this winter, the better it is for all of us, “ said the Reverend Earl E. Nance, Jr., chair emeritus of Heat-Up St. Louis “People are literally making choices between heating and eating, and there has to be better alternatives.”
Heat-up St. Louis is also taking credit-card, tax-deductible donations this year through its secured website; at www.heatupstlouis.org Anyone needing energy assistance should also call the Heat-Up resource hotline at 314-241-7668 and learn where to apply for heating assistance in their area.