Warming houses in freezing temperatures is an expense some people cannot afford and also comes at a cost for those trying to help.
For two years, the Dunedin Curtain Bank has provided free thermal-lined curtains for those in need, but now it needs help.
The non-profit organisation was pleading for funding from the community in order to continue its services, co-ordinator Tammy Prescott said yesterday.
''Without the money we can't continue to operate the service, and at the moment it's providing a great benefit to people who are on low incomes and can't afford heating.''
Working with social services agencies and community card holders, the Dunedin Curtain Bank had helped to warm the homes of more than 260 low-income families, less able people and the elderly, Miss Prescott said.
''We do our best. We have a lot of curtains so we can provide quite a lot to families.''
The Dunedin Curtain Bank has set up a page on the www.givealittle.co.nz website where people can make a donation to keep it running over the busiest time of the year.
''The givealittle page is for our overheads like rent, power and things like that,'' Miss Prescott said.
The curtain bank needed ''$5000 to keep us going for a few months of general running costs''.
Curtains were donated by several sources, but sorting, measuring, lining and installing them came at a price for the organisation, she said.
A pair of curtains cost about $34 to prepare, and most families needed more than three.
Thermal curtains retained heat in a home just as effectively as double-glazed windows, and were the cheapest option to warm a home, Miss Prescott said.
''Seventy-five percent of Dunedin houses have little or no insulation so that's a huge amount of homes, and having thermal curtains is a good way to start.''
The organisation had one part-time paid employee and at least six volunteers, but needed more paid staff.
A pensioner who received curtains from the bank said she would never have been able to afford them on her own.
They had warmed her home and greatly decreased her power bill.
''The curtain bank have made a real contribution,'' the woman, who did not want to be named, said.
- Erin Speedy
