PORTSMOUTH - Ocean National Bank recently donated $1,000 to Rockingham Community Action to help keep Rockingham County families warm this winter.
Last year the organization’s fuel assistance program served more than 3,300 families in Rockingham County. The need is expected to increase this year because of rising fuel costs and stresses in the economy.
Rockingham Community Action is a private, nonprofit agency that administers federally funded programs to help New Hampshire’s low-income residents. Contributions from Ocean National Bank and other private donors assist people in need who otherwise would be turned away because they don’t meet technical criteria of the federal eligibility guidelines.
"The price of fuel is so high and people are really concerned. People who’ve never applied before are applying this year," said Nancy Cushman, fuel assistance director at Rockingham Community Action.
Ocean National Bank is also providing $1,000 fuel-assistance grants to five other community action agencies in regions served by the bank.
"We’ve doubled our contributions for fuel assistance this year because we’re concerned about the impact of higher fuel prices. We don’t want people in crisis over what to cut out of the budget to make ends meet," said Ocean National Bank President and CEO Danny H. O’Brien.
In the first week of December, the price of home heating oil in New Hampshire was nearly 50 percent higher this year than last, according to the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning. Heating oil averaged $2.04 per gallon statewide, compared with $1.36 last year. Propane averaged $2 per gallon, up 27.8 percent; kerosene was at $2.31 per gallon, up 45.9 percent.
To apply for fuel assistance or make a donation to help others, call Rockingham Community Action at 436-3896 or (800) 639-3896.
For a weekly update on fuel prices in New Hampshire, go to www.nh.gov/oep. For information about national energy prices and issues, go to www.eia.doe.gov.
Ocean National Bank is a locally managed commercial bank headquartered in Portsmouth, with 36 branches in New Hampshire and southern Maine offering comprehensive banking, investment and insurance services. For information about the bank and its services, go to www.eOcean.com or call (800) 367-8862.
