Kasper Mechanical and SERVE Partner to Keep the Heat on for Local Families in Need
The company paid outstanding energy bills for two Stafford families.
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
Email Adele
Partnerships between a local business, a local nonprofit, and Dominion Energy led to two local families being able to stay warm this winter.
Earlier in February, Kasper Mechanical stepped in and paid $2,106.11 in outstanding energy bills for two Stafford families with children who were on the verge of having their heating cut off.
S.E.R.V.E, the Stafford-based nonprofit that for 46 years has worked to relieve food insecurity and provide emergency financial assistance to the community, helped the business identify the two families in need through its own partnership with EnergyShare—Dominion’s energy assistance program.
“EnergyShare exists to help residents keep their families warm and comfortable when they need it most,” said Nikki Taylor, who manages the program for Dominion, in a press release from Kasper. “We are grateful for community partners like Kasper Mechanical who not only help us spread awareness but step up financially to support neighbors in crisis. Their leadership makes a meaningful difference.”
Co-owner Steven Kasper told the Advance that the business allocated some money for energy bill assistance at the end of last year, after noticing that an increasing number of people were struggling.
“We could see just how hard this season was hitting families,” he said. “Yes, we’re in the heating business—but we also know that keeping a home warm means higher electricity bills. We started asking ourselves, ‘What more can we do?’”
S.E.R.V.E. partners with Dominion to administer the EnergyShare program in the Fredericksburg area, and they helped connect Kasper with two families who were on the verge of having their heat disconnected due to outstanding bills.
“Winter utility shutoffs can be devastating for families already experiencing hardship,” said Lee Cheney, executive director of S.E.R.V.E. “Kasper Mechanical’s generosity allowed us to act quickly and prevent two households from losing power at a critical time.”
The company paid both families’ outstanding bills as well as a few months in advance to help them stabilize.
“I told them that if I had $1 billion, I’d donate it to them,” Kasper said, adding that both families had “four or five kids.”
Kasper and co-owner Brad Edmonds started their company in 2018 and have always tried to give back to the community through supporting local school programs and the Fredericksburg SPCA, hosting food and toy donation drives, and participating in awareness campaigns for breast cancer and autism.
This winter’s below freezing temperatures inspired them to look into other, more direct ways to support the community.
“I believe that all these people who have supported our business, shared our name on social media, and helped us get to where we are—that this is what they want,” Kasper said. “[They] want to see us give back and do for others what they can’t do for themselves.”
“We could not have built what we’ve built without the community that’s helped us, and we just want to thank the community for making it possible for us to give back,” he continued.
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