A $40,000 grant will help ensure that older adults across Southwest Virginia have access to emergency heating assistance during the winter months.
Mountain Empire Older Citizens, Inc. (MEOC) has been awarded a one-year grant from the Richard & Caroline T. Gwathmey Memorial Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee. The funding will support MEOC’s Emergency Fuel Fund for the Elderly, which assists older adults in Lee, Scott and Wise counties and the City of Norton who are facing winter heating emergencies.
“We are grateful to the Richard & Caroline T. Gwathmey Memorial Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee, for this support,” said MEOC Executive Director Michael Wampler. “The Emergency Fuel Fund helps older adults who are facing heating-related emergencies during the winter, and this grant will help us continue providing that assistance to those who need it.”
During the 2025-2026 heating season, the Emergency Fuel Fund assisted 1,226 individuals and provided nearly $315,000 in heating assistance.
Each year, older adults across the region face heating crises, often after periods of severe winter weather, rising fuel costs or unusually high utility bills. Many are left struggling to pay electric bills or purchase propane, coal, wood or heating oil.
The Emergency Fuel Fund for the Elderly has operated for 50 years and provides emergency heating assistance to low-income adults age 60 and older. Eligible individuals may receive up to $300 in assistance once per program year.
MEOC Emergency Services Director Marsha Craiger said the assistance often prevents older adults from having to make impossible choices between heating their homes and meeting other basic needs.
“For many people who contact MEOC, the Emergency Fuel Fund is truly a last resort,” Craiger said. “Many are living on very limited incomes, and a sudden increase in heating costs can create an immediate crisis. We regularly work with older adults who are trying to balance the cost of keeping their homes warm with paying for food, medications and other essentials. This grant will help us ensure help is available when those emergencies arise.”
For more information about the Emergency Fuel Fund for the Elderly, call MEOC at 276-523-4202.