With this year's cold snap breaking records nationwide, a handful of families got a little extra help staying nice and toasty thanks to a partnership between Walker County Schools and local firefighters.
The joint initiative, called "Heaters for Hope," brought heaters to low-income households whose inhabitants might have otherwise spent the winter in frigid conditions.
Cory Lowe, a school social worker for Walker County Schools, started the outreach project late last year after he noticed that there were students whose families were struggling to keep their homes warm.
"As I was talking to the kids, [some would say] 'We're all sleeping in one room because we have one heater, so there's six of us sleeping in one room trying to stay warm,'" said Lowe, who serves in Rossville Elementary, Stone Creek Elementary, Rossville Middle and Ridgeland High.
Other students, he quickly learned, were completely without any form of at-home heating and were often forced to bundle up and hope for the best when the temperature dropped.
"[These parents] have to choose whether to buy a heater or put food on the table," Lowe said. " We're just providing what little bit we can to help ease that burden a little bit."
Teachers and community members showed their support for the project through funds and appliance donations, with a total of about 15 heaters accrued. Thanks to coordination with Regina Dorsey, fire and life safety educator for Walker County Fire & Rescue, emergency personnel also got involved.
Throughout the month of November, local firefighters delivered the space heaters to families in need and provided instructions to ensure they knew how to use the appliance safely to mitigate fire hazards.
The firefighters also used the visits to help caregivers create a safety plan for evacuating the building in the event of a fire, ensuring each family knew at least two ways out and urging children not to go back into the home for anything.
Before they left, fire personnel also checked each home's smoke detectors to ensure they were still operational, installing a new one for free if needed.
"People in poverty are worried about their basic needs first. They're worried about food and clothing - the 'have-to's.' And smoke alarms, sometimes, are on the bottom of the list," said Dorsey. "That's why we want people to know we will come in and put in smoke alarms."
Lowe said he plans to make Heaters for Hope an annual project. Though he will officially begin his push for heaters and donations in October, anyone interested in helping is welcome to reach out to Lowe at corylowe@walkerschools.org or contact Walker County Schools.
Heaters can also be dropped off at Walker County Student Enrollment Center in Chickamauga, where the remaining heaters awaiting their new home are being stored.
To request to be put on the list for a heater, contact Lowe at corylowe@walkerschools.org.
Email Myron Madden at mmadden@timesfreepress.com.