Posted at: 10/05/2012 5:11 PM
Updated at: 10/05/2012 5:13 PM
By: Brittany Lewis

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Heat Up Minnesota Providing Furnaces for Local Families

(ABC 6 News) -- With temperatures cooling down, many are turning on their heat. But for some families facing hard times, that might not be possible. A new program in Minnesota is changing that.

Lennox, a heating and cooling company, is donating 100 furnaces to homes in need of one. K&S Heating and Cooling of Rochester installs about 15 furnaces a week, over 700 a year, but the furnace they are installing today is special.

"Helping people out is above and beyond things you would do on a regular basis," said Bryan Hanson, project manager for K&S.

This furnace is going to the Sexton family, a family who's last concern should be how they are getting heat- their father has Leukemia.

"Very wonderful family. Really we've got one of the best recipients of this," he added.

Before the new installation, the Sexton family was using this wood burning furannce to heat their home. They would load wood into the heater and a fan would circulate the heat to flow through the house. But if the light was out, the family would be without heat.

But through a program called "Heat up Minnesota," they are able to have a new one for free. Families were nominated through the program's website and 100 were chosen.

"It's about the best feeling a person could have, um as far as uh knowing that they're gonna be taken care of this winter is gonna be just one more weight off their shoulder throughout difficult times that they have," said Hanson.

All of the other furnaces across the state will be installed Saturday. Johnson Air and Heat will be installing one in Albert Lea.