A string of Mid-coast region residents voiced their fears about how they will shiver through the looming winter and offered testament to the ways in which past fuel assistance has helped them survive.


One elderly man who called Midcoast Maine Community Action told receptionist Candy Downs that he was keeping warm by staying under the covers of a bed and running a hair dryer.

"It's sad. It makes me want to cry," she said.

The nonprofit organization that takes applications for energy assistance has seen an increase in requests of 19 percent since September 2002, said Jessica Tyson, executive director of Midcoast Maine Community Action. Federal funding for the program has not kept pace with increases in prices, she said.

"Basically, we're flat-funded," Tyson said.