Loudon Co nonprofit and utility

Loudon Co. nonprofit and utility company team up to help pay utility bills

The Good Samaritan Center of Loudon County and Lenoir City Utility Board are helping families who can’t pay their utility bills.

LENOIR CITY, Tenn. (WVLT) - The Lenoir City Utility Board (LCUB) and the Good Samaritan Center of Loudon County are teaming up to help people pay their energy bills, as the summer heats up.

The Good Samaritan Center helps people with everything from food to rent. Right now, people in Loudon County need the most help with paying utility bills.

"We never know what the story is going to be, and we never know when an emergency could hit any of us,” said the center’s executive director, Cindy Black.

Every month, Black said people come to the center with utility bills of up to $600.

Black said people who live in poverty are more likely to have higher energy bills because many live in older homes.

“They don’t have the capabilities of fixing up, and maybe their landlord won’t fix a leaky window or something like that. So, there are a lot of things involved with not paying a utility bill or rent other than just not having the money,” said Black.

That’s why the center and LCUB teamed up for the Neighbor Aide program.

The program allows LCUB customers to contribute to people in need when paying their bill. LCUB matches their donation.

In 2022, the Good Samaritan Center paid over $200,000 in utility bills for people in Loudon County. The need continues to be great.

“I think we all should know that things like this can happen to any of us,” Black said.

To find out if you qualify for assistance, visit the Good Samaritan Center’s website, here.