Help pours in 100 gallons at a time

LYNN – Bonnie Jones juggled her job and doctor appointments for years until her health forced her to quit work, sending her on a downward spiral that – for the third year in a row – has made her one of more than 2,000 area residents seeking help to pay their heating bills.Diagnosed with leukemia in 2010, the Lynn native continued to work for Beverly-based Appleseed’s against her doctor’s wishes until reluctantly deciding her 13-year career with the firm had to end.”They were like family, they watched over me, but they were a business: They needed someone full-time; I needed to make my doctor’s appointments, so it wasn’t fair to them or to me,” she said.Leaving work kept her health insurance intact for a period of time, but cut Jones’ pay from $2,500 to $600 when she calculated public assistance she was able to receive. She got help to meet rent payments on her East Lynn apartment and to put food on the table to feed herself and son, Vincent, but it wasn’t enough.Jones applied for a state-approved disability a year ago. Although that increased her income to roughly $1,200 a month, Jones said she had to apply for fuel assistance in order to buy enough heating oil to provide hot water and heat in her apartment.Jones is one of 4,000 people receiving help annually from Lynn Economic Opportunity to meet their heating needs. LEO spokeswoman Kathleen McDonald said 2,197 people have filed with the agency this year for fuel assistance, compared to 2,102 at this time last year.One-third of the applicants are 60 years old or older. Other applicants include a Swampscott father of three children who turned to LEO for help when his boiler broke and he could not piece together the money to pay for repairs.”At LEO, our first commitment is to alleviate the immediate effects of poverty. Who can move forward in life if they are cold, sick, hungry, homeless or unsafe?” said McDonald.Jones said she applied for and received three free oil deliveries to her home totaling 300 gallons last year. She said each delivery provided enough oil to last for 45 days – if she conserved.”They were able to help me the whole winter last year but I stretched,” she said.Jones said fellow Zion Baptist Church members helped her but said her inability to work full-time simply left her without enough money to cover all of her costs.”I knew it was going to be tough, but not how tough,” she said.LEO Chief Executive Officer Birgitta Damon noted oil prices have dropped but said utility and food costs remain high and job options for people with relatively few work skills are limited, even in an improving economy.Paid for with federal tax dollars, the fuel-assistance program pays heating oil companies to deliver oil to applicants such as Jones. The program also pays for gas and electric heat with the amount of assistance based on approved income levels.A family of four with an income defined at the poverty level can receive up to $1,025 a year in heating assistance, Damon said. The same size family with a $63,000 income qualifies for up to $610 annually.Jones said she would like to get a part-time job utilizing her finance skills and said she is grateful LEO has helped her make ends meet and stay warm.”They were a life-saver for me,” she said.