Refrigerator replacement program drops off 150th in Sussex
Just in time for Christmas, Sussex County Habitat for Humanity ReStore delivered its 150th energy-efficient refrigerator Dec. 20 to a homeowner north of Rehoboth Beach.
Looking to help reduce the utility bills for low-income qualified households, the appliance was provided as part of the Refrigerator Replacement Program, which is funded through a $500,000 grant from Energize Delaware to benefit all three Habitat for Humanity ReStores in Delaware. Staff from the Lewes-based Sussex Habitat ReStore delivered and installed the new refrigerator, and then hauled away the old refrigerator for proper recycling.
Sussex County Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Kevin Gilmore said the program started about a year ago. The goal is to deliver about 450 refrigerators throughout the state, with 180 of them in Sussex County, he said.
Habitat for Humanity is known for building houses, but that’s not possible in every case, said Gilmore. What Habitat can do is take the homes people have and make them more comfortable, he said.
“We’re not building a house today, but we’re building hope,” said Gilmore.
Barbara Carter, Sussex County Habitat for Humanity neighborhood revitalization coordinator, said for now the program is geared toward eligible existing Delmarva Power customers.
“We’re looking to expand,” she said.
Refrigerator recipient Jeanie Donofrio has lived in the Camelot Meadows development for the past seven years. She said didn’t know the age of the old refrigerator, but it was with the home when they moved in.
“It’s exciting. It’s like a Christmas present,” said a smiling, Christmas-sweater-wearing Donofrio. She added that the Energize Delaware team also did some energy-efficiency testing on the house and provided her with energy-efficient light bulbs. “This is a great program.”
Following the delivery of the refrigerator to Donofrio, the ReStore crew had more program recipients to make happy – Monday is delivery day for the program because the ReStore store on Route 9 is closed. After this delivery, said ReStore Manager Cathy Basenese, the crew was going to another home in Rehoboth, one in Lewes, one in Milton and one in Bridgeville.
For more information on the program, household eligibility and how to apply, go to sussexcountyhabitat.org/programs/energy-efficiency.
Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. Additionally, Flood moonlights as the company’s circulation manager, which primarily means fixing boxes that are jammed with coins during daylight hours, but sometimes means delivering papers in the middle of the night. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.
