Dan Canavan, Senior Council in UIL Holding’s legal department, knows the difference one dollar can make.

When Connecticut utility customers of UI, SCG, CNG and Eversource earmark $1 in their monthly bill for Operation Fuel, a Connecticut fuel assistance nonprofit, that dollar can mean a warm home for a disadvantaged family.

“No one should be cold in the winter,” said Canavan, who joined AVANGRID in 2016 and has been a member of Operation Fuel’s Board of Directors since 2009.

“Sometimes, people fall through the cracks. Operation Fuel is the safety net that the state doesn’t always provide,” he said.

Operation Fuel provided more than $3.1 million in energy assistance to 18,163 individuals from 7,232 Connecticut households this past fiscal year. Almost half of the people helped were either elderly or children under the age of 18. Recipients are families and individuals who are in financial crisis and have nowhere else to turn.

Operation Fuel is the only year-round, statewide emergency energy assistance organization in Connecticut. It assists with all types of energy including heating oil, natural gas, electricity and propane. Operation Fuel’s “Add-A-Dollar” initiative raised $536,585 in the past fiscal year.

Now that the heating season is here, Canavan is asking that AVANGRID employees in Connecticut who get a bill from UI, SCG,CNG or Eversource consider adding a dollar to their payment in support of Operation Fuel. It’s simple to participate: just add a dollar to your payment whether you are writing a check or paying online.

“When you donate, your dollar will be directly supporting your neighbors. Operation Fuel benefits people in every town and from all backgrounds,” Canavan said.

Canavan was Operation Fuel’s board chairman from 2011 to 2014 and helped the nonprofit move into a more visible office space in Hartford to accommodate its growing staff.

“My involvement with Operation Fuel gives me a lot of pride. They do such great work for those that need the most,” he said.

AVANGRID’s collaboration with Operation Fuel doesn’t end with Canavan’s involvement.

UI’s Conservation and Load Management business area collaborates with Operation Fuel by offering low or no-cost energy efficiency programs to Operation Fuel’s clients.

“Operation Fuel will continue to advocate for Connecticut’s most vulnerable population. With the generosity of our supporters and partners, we will keep the heat and electricity on for as many households as possible,” Operation Fuel Executive Director Brenda Watson said.