The blustery, bitter cold days of winter are fast approaching and the thought of a bone dry oil tank is

certainly cause for panic. No heat can result in costly consequences for a home owner and residents. Such a scenario was the impetus for the formation of SOAR (Shrewsbury Oil Assistance Relief), a community group created by concerned citizens of Shrewsbury to address the critical issue of emergency oil shortages within town. SOAR’s mission is to aid Shrewsbury residents who run out of oil and have nowhere else to turn. In these situations, typically the police or fire department will receive a call, frequently in the middle of the night, but  they did not have the resources to issue an emergency oil delivery. Thanks to the funds raised by SOAR, these first responders now have the money to authorize an emergency shipment of oil so the households can keep the heat on until a local service agency can assist with a long-term heating arrangement. SOAR was fortunate to partner with Al’s Oil of Shrewsbury, whose owner,  Ed Flynn, has agreed to charge his wholesale price for oil purchased under the SOAR program.

SOAR is entirely operated by a volunteer staff and Shrewsbury Youth & Family Services manages the administration of the program at no cost.  SOAR guarantees that 100% of the funds raised go directly to subsidizing the cost of the oil.

People who want to help can send checks made out to SOAR and mail to: 

SOAR
c/o Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services
240 Maple Ave
Shrewsbury, MA 01545

Jeffrey Chin, SYFS executive director, emphasized that the SOAR money will go into a separate account and will only be used for the purchase of oil for the program.