For over 40 years, the Swannanoa Community Council has been quietly helping local residents and families through the Swannanoa Emergency Assistance Program (SEAP). If you live in the 28778 zip code and need emergency assistance with bills for utilities, heating and cooking fuel or prescription medications, the Swannanoa Community Council may be able to help. Last year, the Council assisted 174 families in the Swannanoa community with bills that they would otherwise have been unable to pay.
Swannanoa residents who would like to apply for assistance can call 775-5595 and schedule an appointment with a SEAP intake coordinator. If eligibility requirements are met and funds are available, residents may receive one assistance payment per utility for each 12-month period, subject to an annual limit. A bill of final notice must be presented, and payments are made directly to the utility company. Limited assistance may also be available for medical bills and prescription medications.
The Swannanoa Community Council is a member agency of the United Way, and approximately 55% of its annual funding comes from United Way. That percentage has decreased in recent years, and like all small nonprofits, the Council has struggled to make up the difference so that services will not have to be cut.
"We rely more and more on private donations," said Doug Lebbon, Chair of the organization’s all-volunteer Board. "With the winter months coming, the need for funds is greater than ever. We have families who would lose their heat without the help the Swannanoa Community Council provides."
If you would like to help your neighbors by making a donation to support the Swannanoa Emergency Assistance Program, you can send a check (made payable to the Swannanoa Community Council) to PO Box 1008, Swannanoa, NC 28778. All donations are tax deductible. For information about memberships or volunteering, please call 775-5595.
The Community Works When We Work Together!
From October 2010 SPCC E-Newsletter