As many families gather to celebrate Thanksgiving, two Saskatoon families have an extra reason to be thankful this year.
They were given the gift of warmth Saturday, in the form of a new furnace, as part of the Feel the Love Campaign.
One of the recipients of a new furnace was Marilyn Nowlin. Her niece who nominated her, Tanya Nowlin, says this will be a welcomed change.
“The house is never truly warm, and she was finding her energy bills were going so high and she works at SARCAN, so it’s basically minimum wage,” Tanya said. “So when you’re trying to heat this big home and you have a very small furnace, her energy costs go up really high.”
Initially, Tanya kept the fact that she nominated her aunt a secret, but when she finally told her she had won, Marilyn was shocked and then asked, “Well, how lucky can I get?” according to Tanya.
The furnace in the Nowlin home was 20 years old.
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“It’s amazing,” Tracy said. “There is no way we could have ever afforded a new furnace. Actually, a few years ago, she actually had parts put into the furnace she has — that alone was a financial endeavour, so to speak. So to actually put in a new furnace, I really have no words to express just how much it means because it’s something that would’ve been a great financial hardship for her.”
The furnaces along with their installations, which typically costs anywhere from $4,000 to $7,000, were all donated by Lennox, Ball & Sons Heating Company Limited and Pro Service Mechanical.
“Our motto is neighbours helping neighbours, and really as a company and the companies that are helping out, it’s about giving back to the community,” said Lennox Industries Territory manager Cam Yelenik.
Just around the block from the Nowlin home, is where the next recipient of a new furnace lives.
Hilda Legge was nominated by her son and granddaughter.
“They just knew that it was something they had to do to make sure that they were safer and they slept better,” said Legge’s daughter Brenda Yuzdepski.
The phone call after Legge found out she won was full of excitement.
“I happened to be in Italy when I phoned and I said, ‘How are things?’ and she goes, ‘I won the furnace, I won the furnace!'” said Yuzdepski. “And she was so appreciative.”
The furnace being replaced in the Legge home is the original furnace from when the home was built in 1961.
“You never know if there is going to be a crack in the air exchange or carbon monoxide or anything like that,” Yuzdepski said.
And the new furnace is helping to provide more than just warmth, but peace of mind for Legge’s children.
“It allows them to stay in the house longer and knowing they’re safer, it lets us, the kids, sleep a bit better at night,” said Yuzdepski.
The Feel the Love Campaign took place in communities across North America, including in Regina and Prince Albert.
“Our goal was to help people that have either served in the community, helped in the community, are in financial need or desires,” said Yelenik. ” They’re really just good people that really need some help.”
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