Annual dinner raises funds to keep Whitley County families warm this winter
(Talk of The Town photos by Jennifer Zartman Romano) A group of volunteers, above, work to prepare hundreds of meals Saturday at the Energy Assistance Program's annual fish and tenderloin fundraising dinner at Zion Lutheran Church in Columbia City. The volunteers worked shoulder to shoulder inside a small frying station in the parking lot beside the church. Despite the cold temperatures, the windows were open and the steam wafted out the windows...drawing hungry visitors to the door. Below right, from left, Pastors Gene Rohrer and Jim Haugen welcome visitors to the fundraiser. Beneath, Energy Assistance Program committee member Tania Keirn fills an order at the carryout station during the fundraiser. Keirn understands the level of need in the community -- she is executive director of Whitley County's homeless shelter, The Lighthouse, in Columbia City.
By Jennifer Zartman Romano
Pastors Gene Rohrer and Jim Haugen, along with volunteer Hal McCrum, were the smiling faces welcoming guests to the Whitley County Energy Assistance Program fundraising dinner Saturday at Zion Lutheran Church in Columbia City. 
Although the evening was an upbeat occasion, when talk turns to the many families this year who have had to turn to the program for assistance in paying their heat or electrical bills, the discussion is decidedly somber.
The Whitley County Energy Assistance Program is a sub-committee of the Whitley County Ministerial Association. The program has been in existence for many years and became a United Way agency within the past 10 years, according to Rohrer and Haugen. Through various fundraising efforts, perhaps the largest of which being the annual fish and tenderloin dinner held Saturday, monies are raised to help the organization write checks to keep homes warm during the coldest months of the year when homeowners simply cannot make ends meet.
In their roles as clergy in the community, they see local need firsthan
d as items fly off the shelves at local food pantries and as requests continue to come in for help from the energy assistance program.
“The economy isn’t very good,” said Haugen, pastor of Living Water Lutheran Church in Wolf Lake. “Paychecks just don’t seem to stretch.”
When asked how crucial the energy assistance program is in Whitley County, Haugen said, “As treasurer, I write about 100 checks per year.” So, that is about 100 households that would be financially unable to provide for some of their most basic needs, unfortunately.
There is a bright spot, however, in the form of gratitude by those who’ve been served.
“Occasionally, some of the people who have been helped by the program contribute back to it,” Haugen said.
Those who are interested in supporting the Whitley County Energy Assistance Program may send checks, payable to the fund, to: Zion Lutheran Church, 101 East North Street, Columbia City, IN 46725.