“The Warm Homes, Warm Hearts program has been a lifeline for Brunswick County families in their darkest moments. Thanks to our partnership with BEMC, Brunswick Family Assistance is turning moments of crisis into stories of hope.”

Nearly 20 years later, individual members and community groups continue to generously step up and donate each year, helping Warm Homes, Warm Hearts evolve into a year-round utility assistance program. BEMC still matches donations, and funds are still administered by Brunswick Family Assistance and the Columbus County Department of Aging.

Marketing Director at the time, Linda Thomas, remembers, “Getting Warm Homes, Warm Hearts off the ground was so much fun, it was easy to get people excited about it. I remember seeing the envelopes from members coming in, sometimes there’d be a huge stack; one would have a two-dollar bill, the next would have a $300 check. It was great to see so many folks participate. Sometimes they would enclose a note with their donation or make it in memory of someone – they all really cared about helping their neighbors.”

“After the first two or three years,” Linda continues, “different community groups would hold their own fundraisers or pool their own resources and make a donation together. That really gave us a boost, a real rise to the thermometer that we kept in the front of the building to keep the membership informed of how we were doing. And the employees remained very involved, raising money before each Annual Meeting to jump start that year’s campaign. It was and remains a truly community-driven program to this day.”