Virginia Atmos Energy Sharing the Warmth

In an effort to help low income families with the payment of their utility bills, Atmos Energy of Virginia created the donation program known as Sharing the Warmth. What the service does is allow individuals or even individuals to contribute money on a tax deductible basis to a charity foundation. These funds will then be paid out to qualified low income families for their utility bills, ranging from electric to heating.

Sharing the Warmth totally relies on the generosity of the Virginia community to keep it operating. That being said, Atmos Energy will also contribute to its operation as well. They will either using matching grants to increase the amount of funding raised from the community or they will decide to make their own one time contributions. In either case the company fully supports this program both administratively and financially.

To contribute to Sharing the Warmth, customers have a few different options available to them. They can mail a one time contribution at any time. Or the second option is a round up type service. In this case a small contribution will be made each and every month by the customer as part of their regular payment process. The program will round up their monthly utility bill to the next highest amount, and that incremental amount will then go towards the bucket of funds available for Sharing the Warmth.

All the money raised will go to helping participants. The funds will not go to paying administrative costs, as those are covered directly by Atmos Energy. Some of the other benefits to contributing to this Virginia program include that the donor will more than likely receive a tax deduction and also that the utility company will match that money raised.

In order to apply for assistance, there are many conditions in place. Funds are for people facing a one time hardship or crisis situation. This may include things such as a medical emergency or death in the family. The applicant also needs to have a low income and not be qualified for any other programs for their utility bills, such as LIHEAP.

 

 

 

 

Many of the beneficiaries of Atmos Energy Sharing the Warmth are senior citizens or the disabled that have some type of unexpected hardship. Since they tend to already live on a fixed income any extra expense can often put them over the top when it comes to paying for the electricity. Other clients are facing a short term reduction in income, such as from an illness.

When applying to Share the Warmth, be prepared for an assessment process. The applicant should also have proof of income as well as their expenses. This should be for all members of the household. The application will also be reviewed over several days so this is not an emergency service.

For more information on Atmos Energy in Virginia, and particular Share the Warmth, to either apply or donate money, call the company at 1-888-286-6700. Or it is very likely that other agencies in the community are aware of it as well, so they can also be a resource for income qualified families.