For thousands of families and individuals in Connecticut, living above the poverty line doesn’t always mean being able to afford the household heating and electricity bills.
“Even people who are working every single day are having a difficult time,” says Pat Wrice, ’89 MSW, who has served since 1997 as executive director of Operation Fuel Inc., a private, statewide nonprofit based in Bloomfield that helps provide emergency energy assistance to Connecticut residents facing financial strain. “Often when you talk to these families, there are two people in the house working. They’re just not making it.”
Working with a wide range of partners across Connecticut, including small businesses, utility companies, municipal and community agencies, churches, and civic groups, Operation Fuel coordinates emergency energy assistance for lower-income working families, as well as elderly and disabled individuals who are in financial crisis and may not be eligible for, or have exhausted, their government benefits.
‘Put Away Your Stereotypes’
One of roughly 300 fuel funds in place across the country, Operation Fuel – established in 1977 – is the nation’s oldest. Last year, the organization provided a record $6 million in emergency energy assistance through its statewide network of 110 energy banks to more than 13,000 households. Funds raised through contributions from community and corporate foundations, civic organizations, individual donors, and through Operation Fuel’s “Add-a-Dollar” program, which invites donations from utility companies’ customers, help to support the year-round program.
“There’s this idea that somehow it’s your fault if you need help,” Wrice says. “Even if people lose power for a day or a few hours, they understand what it’s like to be in the dark or in the cold. We’ve all experienced that.”
For Wrice, who has served as an adjunct faculty member at the UConn School of Social Work since 1990 and teaches courses in human oppression, social welfare, and urban issues, Operation Fuel’s work is not only about meeting the immediate energy needs of households experiencing hardship, but also serving as a strong voice for such people, while finding long-term solutions.
“When you think of people in need, put away your stereotypes, because both hunger and energy stress go beyond those stereotypes,” she says. “It could be your elderly mother who hasn’t shared with you her dire straits. It could be your neighbor, who you wave to every morning. We could all find ourselves in that situation, given the wrong circumstances.”
Paying It Forward
As executive director, Wrice dedicates much of her time to developing the organization’s strategic plans, raising awareness in the community, and seeking funding. But on nights when she is working late, she will still take incoming calls from people seeking help.
Wrice recalls a phone call she received from a single woman who was raising her grandchildren while working full time. “She needed an oil delivery, but was between paychecks,” Wrice says. “She didn’t know where to turn. She kept saying to me, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’ll have the money in a week, but I don’t have it now, and the kids are cold.’ I was able to catch the local fuel bank before they closed, and they were able to order her oil that night.”
Former clients often keep Operation Fuel in mind long after receiving support from the organization. One individual Wrice remembers sought out Operation Fuel’s help after her husband had been laid off. Shortly thereafter, Wrice received an unsolicited grant of $25,000 from the company where the woman was employed. “We don’t ask people to give back,” Wrice says, “but you never know.”
Another client, living on Social Security, found Operation Fuel after he had run out of oil and was sleeping in his kitchen by his stove. Every year since then, he has called Wrice personally to thank her.
“It keeps me humble,” Wrice says. “It really lets me know that I’m helping.”
