THAW Radiothon Set for November 19 to Help Local Families Stay Warm This Winter

As winter approaches, many families across Hancock and Washington counties are facing unprecedented financial pressures. Record high heating costs, combined with rising prices for groceries, housing, healthcare, transportation, and other necessities, are leaving more households vulnerable to a heating emergency than ever before.

To help meet this growing need, Avec Community Action, Heart of Maine United Way, and Star 97.7 Radio are partnering for the 2027 THAW Fund Radiothon, airing live on Thursday, Nov. 19, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event will raise critical funds to support the THAW Fund, which provides emergency heating assistance to residents of Hancock and Washington counties.

For more than 30 years, the THAW Fund has helped local families, seniors, and individuals facing a winter crisis keep the heat on when they have nowhere else to turn. This year, community support is more important than ever.

“Many of the people reaching out for help today are hard-working individuals and families who are employed and doing everything they can to make ends meet,” said Matt Donahue, chief executive officer of Heart of Maine United Way. “The rising cost of living, especially home heating costs, is creating real challenges for households across our region. Many of these families earn too much to qualify for traditional assistance programs yet still cannot absorb the cost of a heating emergency. Funds raised through the THAW Radiothon may be the only source of help available to them, making community support absolutely critical.”

The emergency heating assistance provided by the THAW Fund does more than address the immediate need for heat, helping to prevent larger crises that can threaten a family’s health, safety, and overall stability.

“The need we are seeing in our communities is greater than ever before, which inspires us to leverage our partnerships to help as many of our neighbors in Hancock and Washington counties as we possibly can,” said Jason Parent, chief executive officer of Avec Community Action. “The THAW Radiothon is a powerful example of what can happen when organizations, businesses, and community members come together to support their neighbors. Every donation helps ensure local families have somewhere to turn when a heating emergency threatens their well-being.”

Community members can support the THAW Fund by making a secure online donation at https://homeunitedway.org/thaw/, mailing a gift to THAW Fund c/o Heart of Maine United Way, 700 Mount Hope Avenue, Suite 101, Bangor, ME 04401, or by donating during the live Radiothon broadcast on Star 97.7 Radio on Nov. 19.