Every year there are many deaths in our country related to faulty heating systems or to the lack of heating all together. Whether the cause is carbon monoxide leakage, gas leakage in a confined space, or simply the lack of funds to afford repairs, our communities are faced with the grim results year after year. The fact is that a majority of these heating related casualties could be prevented with a simple and thorough heating check in the fall. However, the elderly and/or disabled, low income homeowner, living on a fixed income must make a critical choice: food and medicine or a heat check service call.
Every winter some Lubbock residents survive without heat. Their heating units need repairs that they just can’t afford, so they resort to using their cook stoves or barbeque grills to heat their homes. For the 16th year in a row, members of the South Plains Chapter of the Texas Air Conditioning Contractors Association (TACCA-SP) have joined together on an annual project called “Heat the Town” to assist those who need a safe way to stay warm.
On Saturday, October 29th, heating and air conditioning contractors and other businesses will be making an impact by donating time, money and materials to make free repairs for people in need. On this one day only, service technicians will head out to prepare approximately 60 homes for the winter ahead. This is the 16th year ACCA members have come together to “Heat the Town”.
People in need should call 762-8721 or 687-0940. This is the number for the South Plains Association of Governments Area Agency on Aging (SPAG-AAA). We will only take the first 60 callers. They must be the homeowner (no renters), live within the city limits of Lubbock, be low income, age 60 or older, and the home cannot be a mobile home. The homeowner will need to be home between the hours of 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. We will not make a return trip later in the day. SPAG-AAA is an organization that will visit with the homeowner to find out what their needs are and then they will be referred to the TACCA-South Plains contractors. One of our volunteer contractors will then come and service their equipment on the morning of Saturday, October 29th.
(News release from the South Plains TACCA)
