As a 66-year-old retired teacher, Colonie resident Pat Audi worries about the winter months.
It’s not driving on slick roads or losing power in a storm that bothers her, it’s the simple fact that with dropping temperatures, she’ll see higher utility bills and start having to make tough choices.
“I have to pay my bills first, and then what’s left over is mine. I’m not starving to death, but I’m very careful how much is spent on groceries,” said Audi, whose heating bill is on average $400 a month during the winter.
That was until about three years ago, when Colonie Senior Service Center Executive Director Ed Neary sent Audi a letter informing her of a nonprofit program called “Warmth of Wine,” a benefit that raises money for Colonie seniors to help with their heating bills. Since Audi is part of the Umbrella of Colonie, the home maintenance arm of CSSC, she qualified for the assistance and that year received a check for $250 to help with her bills.
“It doesn’t sound like a lot of money but it really is. It adds to my overall budget amount. It helps me greatly,” Audi said.
The problem that Audi and many seniors in the community face is they are living off fixed incomes – like Audi’s $33,000 – that are not low enough to receive assistance from state and federal programs like HEAP, or the Home Energy Assistance Program. During the heating season, Neary said Colonie seniors see energy bills of up to $1,500.
“If you fall somewhere between middle class and really poor, there’s no one to help you,” Audi said.
Bill Hoblock, of Umbrella of Colonie, started the Warmth of Wine event with his wife, Kristin, eight years ago to ask younger people to help the senior population. Over the past seven years, the wine tasting benefit has raised more than $200,000. At this year’s eighth event on Thursday, Feb. 28, Hoblock said they hope to hit the $250,000 mark.
“This is a really unique event. Every single dollar that comes in to this event goes right back into the community to help the seniors,” Hoblock said.
Neary said the money is handed out almost immediately after the event, and through the program they help out more than 200 seniors annually. Each senior must fill out an application and supply their heating bills and income, and the money is distributed on a case-by-case basis, as there are some who need less assistance than others. Neary said they also help to fix or replace heating systems.
“Heating bills and cost of energy certainly has gone up over the past four or five years significantly,” Neary said. “It creates difficulty for people on fixed incomes to make ends meet, that’s why this program has become popular.”
Although seniors are paying heating bills for a couple of months, the money raised from each event is distributed in early March because January and February are the two coldest and most expensive months, Hoblock said.
Neary said the Warmth of Wine turnout each year has grown tremendously and is very grateful for the support.
“Every little bit helps,” Neary said.
Seniors have to reapply each year for assistance, but Audi said she hasn’t been turned down yet. While she’s thought of moving to a warmer state, she doesn’t want to leave family who still live in the area, or the lifestyle she has grown used to. Luckily, the few extra hundred dollars during the winter have helped her to stay.
“There are a lot of seniors worse off than me. They need the program. I know of some people in order to pay their heating bill they will not get a prescription they need that month,” Audi said. “They have to choose, ‘Do I want to be warm, or do I want to get my medication?’ Sometimes they won’t get their medication. Or they’ll skip on groceries.”
The 8th Annual Warmth of Wine will take place on Thursday, Feb. 28, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Century House at 997 New Loudon Road in Latham. Tickets are $50. For more information, visit www.colonieseniors.org.
