Clara Dawson had spent the better part of 50 years in her cozy house in Harford County, Maryland. Her husband, Frank, had been her rock—a retired schoolteacher with a gentle laugh and a fondness for humming old jazz tunes while tinkering with the garden. When Clara lost him suddenly one autumn, the silence in their home was deafening.
Living on a single Social Security check wasn’t easy. Clara pinched every penny—cutting coupons, stretching meals, and making do. But that bitter February brought more than snow. Her heating bills soared, and her savings were nearly gone. She bundled up in layers and heated just one room, but her joints ached and her spirits sank.
One morning, as she clutched a lukewarm mug of tea, Clara came across a flyer at the local library about the Fuel Fund of Maryland. She hesitated—she’d never asked for help before. But the cold had grown too fierce, and pride couldn’t warm her toes.
She called the number and following the directions on the website, she applied for assistance. Within a week, Clara received assistance that took care of her bill and lifted a heavy weight off her shoulders.
“I felt seen,” Clara told her neighbors later. “Not just warmed—but welcomed into the safety net I didn’t know I had.”
The kindness of strangers and the work of the Fuel Fund gave Clara more than heat—it gave her hope. Click here to donate to help other’s struggling.