Buy a Candle and Share the Light is a new program being offered by area churches and is operating through Centre Wellington Hydro.
Hydro General Manager Doug Sherwood said in an interview last week that churches are selling fragrant specialty candles that are so beautiful some people are refusing to light them and are keeping them for their fragrance and decorative look
Used of not, the purchase will be helping people who are in dire straits thanks to a bad economy last year and who are having difficulties paying their hydro bills.
The third partner in the group is the Community Resource Centre. All money raised from candle sales will go to a fund that will be administered by the Community Resource Centre. Certificates will be issued that are payable towards a person’s hydro bill from that fund. The Community Resource Centre has agreed to be responsible for administering and allocating the certificates to a family or individuals.
The centre is the front line agency in the community that deals with people who may require some assistance from time to time in paying their utility bills. The unique candles are made in Wellington County by a local artisan Sophia Fleck specifically for the Share the Light program.
Over the past few years, Centre Wellington Hydro and the Community Resource Centre have been working closely to try and help customers and clients alike.
Officials stated that the group’s paths inevitably cross, since customers who are having difficulty in paying utility bills are often the same people who require some form of assistance from the Community Resource Centre.
While customers might have difficulties paying their bills, the locally owned utility is obligated and mandated to ensure all accounts are paid and kept up to date. It is incumbent upon the utility to ensure arrears and write offs are kept to a minimum, because those costs are eventually spread across the entire customer base, to be collected at a later date.
Many customers are unaware the line items on a bill for the electricity, regulatory, and a portion of the delivery charges are strictly a pass through collection by the utility. The only money the utility keeps to run its business is the distribution charge, which is a small percentage of the total bill.
When a customer uses electricity, Centre Wellington Hydro pays the IESO (Independent Electricity System Operator) for it immediately; and then collects it back from the customer. Prior to a customer receiving a bill from Centre Wellington Hydro, it has already paid for all of the consumption to that date.
By the time a customer gets to the point of a possible disconnection for non-payment, the utility has already paid the IESO for over three months of electricity consumption.
While it has to ensure that it is diligent in attempting to collect all money that is owed, Sherwood said the utility still is sympathetic to customers who are struggling to meet their financial obligations.
The Community Resource Centre staff is knowledgeable about all of the applicable programs that are available to those who are struggling financially, funding levels, and the criteria that would determine eligibility. Consequently, it is equipped to determine who requires assistance and the amount of that assistance.
The Share the Light program is community based, where local church groups and service clubs promote and sell the candles, with all proceeds going to a fund.
Sherwood said he would like to expand the program beyond Centre Wellington, if possible, and is encouraging other utilities and community groups to take part. There are two sizes of candles available at prices of $25 and $15.
The one-of-a-kind candles can be purchased at:
– Community Resource Centre; and
– Centre Wellington Hydro; and
– the local Ministerial Association
The candles will soon be available at other locations. Visit www.cwsharethelight.ca.
