Knox -
Warm Waldo was established last year by Tanya Hubbard, who recently retired after teaching English at Mount View High School for 38 years.
It began after Hubbard noticed an elderly woman in a local pharmacy being forced to make a difficult decision. "She was asking the pharmacist to split her medications in half," she explained. "He kind of gave her a little bit of a hard time because she can't physically afford to do that. She said, 'I can't pay for medication, food and heat. I've cut back on the food so you're my next stop. I have to have this.'"
What Hubbard saw in the pharmacy stuck with her, until she finally figured out what she wanted to do about it. "I think I went right to Facebook and I put out a need that if anyone can help with some money, let's fill some oil tanks and let's try to help some people."
She wasn't expecting the response she got. Last winter, Warm Waldo raised a remarkable $11,000 in cash and checks from all over the United States. "So what I do is cash those, go right to there oil company and put a deposit in their fuel account, then send them a notice that says Warm Waldo has gifted you with warmth. Be well."
Last year, 25 families were gifted between $300 and $500 each.
Hubbard says she's gotten donations ranging from $5 to $500, but the average donation is between $20 and $50. "It just felt good," she said. "It felt like it was a pay it forward kind if thing to do. I've had a lot of medical issues and the community has been amazing for me. All the way from Mount View High School to the Waldo County Tech Center where I now work. So it was time for me to pick it up and move forward with that."
This year they're raising the bar even higher. "We would really like to gift 50 families. That might be a stretch. But I don't know why we should limit our goals and expectations, because people were so great last year. We have gifted 5 families so far and we have 8 that are waiting."
To learn more about the program you can send an email to Warmwaldo@gmail.com or you can find them on facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/WarmWaldoMaine?fref=ts
Checks can be sent to
Warm Waldo
C/O T. Hubbard
54 Aborn Hill Road, Knox, Maine 04986
All donations and gifts are confidential.
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