Category: Announcements || By Submitted Reports

Pennsylvania's Low-Income Home Energy Assistance program is now open for the 2011-12 heating season.

Also known as "LIHEAP," the program provides cash grants to help low-income households to help pay for home heating fuel; and crisis grants for heating emergencies.

Information about the program --- and help filing applications --- is available at the office of state Sen. Jim Brewster, as well as county assistance offices, local utility companies and community service agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging or community action agencies.

Cash grants are based on income, family size, type of heating fuel and region, Brewster said. Crisis grants are provided to resolve heating emergencies, such as furnace failures or unexpected fuel shortages.

In addition to proof of income and household size, applicants must provide a recent bill or a statement from their fuel dealer verifying their customer status and the type of fuel that they use.

Applications for LIHEAP cash grants also are available online at www.compass.state.pa.us. Residents can also contact the Allegheny County Department of Human Services at (800) 851-3838, or the LIHEAP hotline at 1-866-857-7095, Monday through Friday (individuals with hearing impairments may call the TDD number at 1-800-451-5886).

Brewster's district offices include locations in the city at 201 Lysle Blvd., Downtown (the former municipal building), or in Monroeville at 3824 Northern Pike.

. . .

Round Hill Road Reopens: Round Hill Road in Elizabeth Township has reopened to all traffic between Scenery Drive (Route 48) and Simpson Howell Road, said a spokeswoman for Allegheny County's Department of Public Works.

The road was closed while crews repaired the culvert that carries a small stream --- Douglas Run --- about a quarter-mile east of the Round Hill Park entrance. The contractor will be on site working inside the culvert for the next month, the spokeswoman said.

. . .

Program Helps Hunters Help Hungry: Local hunters who don't want or need part of their deer harvest are being encouraged to donate it to the hungry this holiday season.

"Hunters Sharing the Harvest" is a statewide program that allows hunters to donate extra venison, said state Rep. Bill Kortz, Democrat from Dravosburg. Pennsylvania's rifle-hunting season for antlered deer begins Monday.

If an entire deer is donated, hunters are asked to make a $15 contribution to help cover the cost of processing the meat, but the contribution is tax-deductible. Hunters donated a portion of a deer will pay their usual processing fee, but should make sure to tell the processor to hold a specific amount of meat for the program.

Last year, hunters donated 100,000 pounds of venison to the program, Kortz said.

Established in 1991, Hunters Sharing the Harvest provides more than 200,000 meals annually to food banks, churches and other social organizations feeding the needy, said Kortz, a member of the Sportsmen's Caucus in the state Legislature. Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Westmoreland County Food Bank and Greater Washington County Food Bank are among those that benefit from the program.

A list of participating processors can be found at the sharedeer.org website. Participating processors in the Mon-Yough area include Bobeck's Deer Processing in Monongahela, Lenik Deer Processing in Finleyville and Espey's Meat Market in Scottdale.