Nothing is scarier than being forced to move out of your home because you can no longer afford it, but there are plenty of things that come pretty close. One might be any of author Stephen King’s novels. Another might be not having enough cash to cover your oil bill during the cold winter months in Maine.
Well, King has decided to do something about it and his fundraising efforts have definitely exceeded expectations.
Instead of worrying about where they will get the money to pay their next heating oil bill or where they might have to move if they experience foreclosure, many low-income residents in Maine will have their bill paid. Talk about getting into the Christmas spirit! We think King has really done his part for the season.
It was just last month that the author announced that his foundation would match as much as $70,000 if the listeners of three Bangor-area radio stations would donate the same amount. King happens to own the three stations.
Overall, listeners donated $24,000,while $46,000 came from the Lerner Foundation. Eventually, King’s foundation pitched in the rest. However, that’s not the amount of money that stopped moving in. An anonymous California resident promised an additional $50,000 if King then matched that. He agreed, and that brought the total up to $240,000.
The federal government has already promised Maine about $23 million in assistance for heating oil for this winter, which is down significantly from last year when it was almost $60 million.
You don’t have to move to Maine to do your part. If you want to make a donation to help families less fortunate than your own, simply do a search online for a local charity.
Jon Huser
