June 21, 2025 • 5 mins
Perkin Simpson, CEO of Operation Fuel, joins us live at the Travelers Championship. Operation Fuel provides relief for residents who fell through the gaps of government assistance programs.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thank you for listening to Community Access. I'm Alison de
merzat the Travelers Championship in Cromwell. My guest right now
is Perkins Simpson. He is chief executive officer for Operation Fuel.
Good morning, How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Good morning, Allison? How are you?
Speaker 1 (00:15):
I'm great? Thank you. Operation Fuel blesses people's lives. For
people who don't know about it, tell us about it.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Sure, we are there to provide a ray of hope.
With energy prices going hi and individuals having to manage bills,
which bill do they pay? Oftentimes the need for fuel,
the need for electricity, the need for water sometimes get sacrificed,
and we're there to provide some assistance for individuals and
(00:45):
families who are struggling. We also are looking even just
beyond assistance and looking to see how can we improve
people's lives, whether it be through reatherizations, systems, upgrades. But
assistance is where we have been a core part of omission.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
How dire is it for people in the state of Connecticut.
I know myself my ever source bill this year. No,
not to slam them, it was eight hundred dollars more
than I anticipated a month. So for people who don't
even have that, who are deciding do I pay for
my prescription, do I pay for my dog to have food,
or for themselves to have food? How dire is the
situation in our state?
Speaker 2 (01:22):
It is very dire. The statistics show that more than
one out of four families are struggling. And the issue
isn't just about the bill, but if you think about
a elderly person who has life supporting equipment oxygen, then
it's tied to their lives. When you look at education
and medicine for individuals who may need to have their
(01:46):
medicine chilled, and so it goes beyond just a bill, right,
And you're looking at water, you're looking at the basin
substances in life. You're looking at electricity where it can
even act as student without electricity, how do they study?
So these are areas that affect all parts of people's lives.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
And to be cold, it's one thing to be hotless,
and this heat wave is in being menopausal and old
like it's taken a toll. But when you're cold, you
can't function.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Yeah, absolutely outs and not only the cold, but you
mentioned the heat. Electricity is needed to run AC unit.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
So in the summertime when people are struggling with energy needs.
It affects us year round.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
How are you able to give people assistance?
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Sure? Well, we are blessed to have a couple of supporters.
We have some contributions to rate pairs, although it's very small,
very tiny for Connecticut, roughly fifteen to sixteen cents per
household per month contributes to our cause. But that's not
(02:57):
enough because when we open our seats in about a month,
all of the money that we have for assistance is gone.
We do get some moneyes from regulatory agencies as well,
but we're also looking for support from the general public,
so we do raise money from donors, from corporate sponsors,
you know, organizations like the Travelers Championship birdies for charities
(03:20):
is so important that money goes a long way to
help us to complete our mission.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
So right now, if we'd like you to go to
Operation Fuel dot org or Travelers Championship dot com, make
your donation, and Webster Bank will give fifteen cents for
every dollar. And when you make that donation, there's no
fees attached or anything, so they're going to get a
dollar fifteen for every single dollar. Awesome, do you have
(03:46):
any personal stories without mentioning any names, of how these
services have positively affected people.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Yes, I have a tremendous amount of stories, and it's
interesting that we share those among the staff. People call
in and tell their stories, Individuals who've lost their jobs,
individuals who are working on a fixed income, unable to
meet their needs. Their bills are piling up, they have
(04:13):
past due balances, shut off notices, and just two words,
thank you. We hear that so often, thank you for
helping us get through this moment. Sometimes it's just individuals
who need an opportunity to get back on their feet
in the moment, and those stories are touching. We have
some of the best staff who work directly with those individuals.
(04:35):
We also have partners at fuel banks that also help
with applications and get people connected. So when you hear
the story, you know, it's very interesting to note. Many
of us are not too far away. You know, maybe
a paycheck away, maybe a situation, a medical emergency, situation
(04:55):
that you know, could bring us from where we are
to where we I need some assistance.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Unfortunately, a lot of people don't get it unless they've
been in that situation, and I pray that they never do,
but that's why we need you to donate again. It's
Operation Fuel dot org or Travelers Championship dot com. I'm
speaking with Perkin Simpson, he's CEO of Operation Fuel. Thank
you so much for being here today and for serving
(05:21):
the community.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Absolutely, thank you for having me alsen
Thank you for listening to Community Access. I'm Alison de
merzat the Travelers Championship in Cromwell. My guest right now
is Perkins Simpson. He is chief executive officer for Operation Fuel.
Good morning, How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Good morning, Allison? How are you?
Speaker 1 (00:15):
I'm great? Thank you. Operation Fuel blesses people's lives. For
people who don't know about it, tell us about it.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Sure, we are there to provide a ray of hope.
With energy prices going hi and individuals having to manage bills,
which bill do they pay? Oftentimes the need for fuel,
the need for electricity, the need for water sometimes get sacrificed,
and we're there to provide some assistance for individuals and
(00:45):
families who are struggling. We also are looking even just
beyond assistance and looking to see how can we improve
people's lives, whether it be through reatherizations, systems, upgrades. But
assistance is where we have been a core part of omission.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
How dire is it for people in the state of Connecticut.
I know myself my ever source bill this year. No,
not to slam them, it was eight hundred dollars more
than I anticipated a month. So for people who don't
even have that, who are deciding do I pay for
my prescription, do I pay for my dog to have food,
or for themselves to have food? How dire is the
situation in our state?
Speaker 2 (01:22):
It is very dire. The statistics show that more than
one out of four families are struggling. And the issue
isn't just about the bill, but if you think about
a elderly person who has life supporting equipment oxygen, then
it's tied to their lives. When you look at education
and medicine for individuals who may need to have their
(01:46):
medicine chilled, and so it goes beyond just a bill, right,
And you're looking at water, you're looking at the basin
substances in life. You're looking at electricity where it can
even act as student without electricity, how do they study?
So these are areas that affect all parts of people's lives.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
And to be cold, it's one thing to be hotless,
and this heat wave is in being menopausal and old
like it's taken a toll. But when you're cold, you
can't function.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Yeah, absolutely outs and not only the cold, but you
mentioned the heat. Electricity is needed to run AC unit.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
So in the summertime when people are struggling with energy needs.
It affects us year round.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
How are you able to give people assistance?
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Sure? Well, we are blessed to have a couple of supporters.
We have some contributions to rate pairs, although it's very small,
very tiny for Connecticut, roughly fifteen to sixteen cents per
household per month contributes to our cause. But that's not
(02:57):
enough because when we open our seats in about a month,
all of the money that we have for assistance is gone.
We do get some moneyes from regulatory agencies as well,
but we're also looking for support from the general public,
so we do raise money from donors, from corporate sponsors,
you know, organizations like the Travelers Championship birdies for charities
(03:20):
is so important that money goes a long way to
help us to complete our mission.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
So right now, if we'd like you to go to
Operation Fuel dot org or Travelers Championship dot com, make
your donation, and Webster Bank will give fifteen cents for
every dollar. And when you make that donation, there's no
fees attached or anything, so they're going to get a
dollar fifteen for every single dollar. Awesome, do you have
(03:46):
any personal stories without mentioning any names, of how these
services have positively affected people.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Yes, I have a tremendous amount of stories, and it's
interesting that we share those among the staff. People call
in and tell their stories, Individuals who've lost their jobs,
individuals who are working on a fixed income, unable to
meet their needs. Their bills are piling up, they have
(04:13):
past due balances, shut off notices, and just two words,
thank you. We hear that so often, thank you for
helping us get through this moment. Sometimes it's just individuals
who need an opportunity to get back on their feet
in the moment, and those stories are touching. We have
some of the best staff who work directly with those individuals.
(04:35):
We also have partners at fuel banks that also help
with applications and get people connected. So when you hear
the story, you know, it's very interesting to note. Many
of us are not too far away. You know, maybe
a paycheck away, maybe a situation, a medical emergency, situation
(04:55):
that you know, could bring us from where we are
to where we I need some assistance.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Unfortunately, a lot of people don't get it unless they've
been in that situation, and I pray that they never do,
but that's why we need you to donate again. It's
Operation Fuel dot org or Travelers Championship dot com. I'm
speaking with Perkin Simpson, he's CEO of Operation Fuel. Thank
you so much for being here today and for serving
(05:21):
the community.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Absolutely, thank you for having me alsen
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