Dear Johnny,

My name is Alicia and I am in a desperate situation. In mid-October, my 2008 Chevrolet

Impala-- my driver's side front Window went off track and is wide open and won’t go

back up. Then a few days later, I noticed my muffler started vibrating underneath the

car. I’ve tried to cover the window the best I can, but it’s been some cold drives back

and forth to work. And then at the end of October, as the weather started to turn cold, I

tried to turn on my furnace and it was not working right. I try not to think about it

because I just don’t have the money to get it fixed and I hoped it would be okay. A

couple of weeks ago when the weather really turned cold, I tried to fire it back up and it

would only blow cold air, so I tried to get the temperature up to at least 58 degrees. It

began making a buzzing sound for a minute then shutting off for 30 seconds to a minute

then try to come back on with the same buzzing sound. I knew something wasn’t right,

so I just let it shut off. That has made for some really cold nights the last couple of

weeks. I went to bed a few nights ago and it was 43 degrees inside my house. I called

an HVAC technician to come out to my house and he said it could possibly be a blower

motor and/or a transformer. He quoted me more than $1000 to fix it and I just don’t have the money.

I work a full-time job and I’m just at my wits end. I’m driving to work every day with the

window down and the cold blowing in my face and then come back to a house that’s

usually in the mid-40’s degrees. I’ve been staying with a friend the last couple of nights

because I just don’t know what to do. I make just enough to cover my bills and get

groceries, but I just don’t have a way to get past this. I hate having to ask for help, but

thank you for taking the time to read my letter. Any help would be appreciated.

Sincerely,

Alicia

Who helped: Trevor our car mechanic, Joel with McFarland Heating and Cooling, Emily, Cosentino’s

How you helped: fixed the window in her car and installed a brand new furnace, paid water bill, groceries