BUCKSPORT, Maine — Plenty of people around the state are concerned with the high cost of energy and whether they and their neighbors will be able to keep warm this winter.
A group in Bucksport aims to do something that will help to organize and coordinate local resources so that those in need will know where they can turn for help.
The Community Action Resource Exchange, a program of the four United Methodist churches in Bucksport and Or-land, will sponsor an Action Forum on Planning for Winter Emergencies from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 13, at the Jewett School Community Center.
CARE was founded in 2004 and serves as a clearinghouse to match residents’ requests for assistance with a slate of volunteers who can perform tasks for the people who need them, ac-cording to Val Shaffner, a member of the CARE advisory committee. In the past, the tasks have included providing rides to a doctor and a variety of household chores, but the group decided to focus on energy resources during this forum.
“This year is going to be hard,” Shaffner said, “and the assistance from the government is not going to be enough. We’re trying to put together all the resources that are available to help.”
More than 80 percent of Maine residents depend on oil to heat their homes, and signs of the coming crisis are already being seen. The Washington Hancock Community Agency received 1,400 phone calls last month on the first day the agency began scheduling appointments for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Pro-gram, according to earlier re-ports. That was more than a 50 percent increase in calls from the same time last year.
Last year WHCA received 5,500 applications for LIHEAP funding, and the agency expects to receive at least 6,500 applications this year.
The forum organizers hope to bring community leaders and interested residents together to discuss ways to coordinate local resources to meet the needs of older residents and vulnerable children and adults.
The catalyst for the forum, Shaffner said, was the gover-nor’s call earlier this year for community action to help residents prepare for the coming winter. The plan, developed by the state’s Pre-Emergency Energy Task Force, recommended seven short-term actions to help deal with the high price of oil, including energy efficiency measures and establishing a central resource for energy information and referrals. That “one-stop shopping” approach will be the focus of Saturday’s forum.
The agenda will include in-formation and discussions about access for Maine energy resources, weatherization, energy audits for homes and businesses, resources for education and training, energy efficient financing tools, transportation options and ways to reduce fuel consumption, and resources to ensure keeping neighbors safe, secure and warm this winter.
“We want to try to talk about what we can do together and who is available to help if we get requests,” Shaffner said.
She indicated that by pooling people and other resources, they would be able to respond quickly to the needs of residents in the area.
“We figured we could do more together than we could do separately,” she said.
The information collected during the forum not only will provide a resource for residents who need help, she said, but it also will identify resources for residents who know of someone who needs help.
“There are a lot of people who may need help, but won’t come in and ask for it,” Shaffner said. “We’re really just trying to open up a dialog to find out what can be done.”
For information about CARE or the forum, contact Shaffner at 469-3085.