The Harleysville-based business partners with Lennox to reward a deserving family with heating and cooling
Perhaps you’ve been there yourself. You’re down on your luck. The bills are piling up, and there goes the HVAC system in your house. Such massive projects aren’t just a lot of work, but they come along with a hefty price tag, too. These situations can be tough, especially when you are a single mom on a budget.
One woman in our community sadly found these things out the hard way. As she struggles to meet the needs of her son, who requires extensive medical care, she learned her home’s heating and cooling systems no longer work. She hasn’t even found a way to get the heat turned on come this winter, and, did we mention, she was also pregnant when she applied?
That is a lot for one woman to handle, and as she struggles to find a way to juggle a “lemon” of a newly purchased home in Worcester, as she works and cares for her son, well, let’s just say the going isn’t easy. Thankfully, there are some helping hands in our area that are ready to step in and take this big worry off of her list.
IT Landes, which provides heating, cooling, plumbing, and electrical services and installations for both residential and business locations, is eager to lend a helping hand.
“We partner with the Lennox Foundation and a program called Feel the Love,” said Nick Martins, Comfort Advisor and HVAC Estimator, of the Harleysville-based business. “Lennox donates the equipment, and we donate the labor to install it.”
IT Landes works with the national Lennox partnership, which puts out an annual call for applications online for the Feel the Love installations. IT Landes then pushes the contest out to local service areas, letting customers know of the opportunity.
Once received, Lennox narrows down the selections to a handful of nominees, which Martins and his team then choose from in their local coverage area. Weighing location, the need, and product availability, the team selects a person that is most deserving.
“It is someone in a situation where new heating and cooling equipment would be a great benefit to them and their family,” said Martins. “We’ve zeroed in on one that is very worthy this year.”
Martins said that the applicant herself described the needs the best. Now a single mother to a 9-year-old son and a two-week-old baby, she explained her struggle in her application.
“I entered my career at the [law enforcement agency] in 2022, while juggling being a single mom and working on my doctorate degree,” the former Upper Gwynedd woman wrote. “My 9-year-old was diagnosed at the age of 2 with Specific Antibody Deficiency. Since 2, he has required IVIG infusions to keep him healthy and out of the hospital. He has recently switched to subcutaneous infusions on a weekly basis because his veins are shot with all the years of being infused via IV.”
She said, while her son struggles with his health condition, he is also her source of encouragement to keep going.
“He is truly what motivates me to push myself to reach every goal,” she wrote. “His medical bills were outrageous, and fortunately a non-profit (Casey’s Companions) has helped that.”
However, just when she’d gotten a handle through assistance on bills, she found out her new home was not what she expected.
“Since joining the [law enforcement agency], I purchased a home which has been nothing but trouble,” she explained in her application. “I have had the HVAC system fixed a number of times already, and with its age, I’m not sure how much longer it will last.”
She said a new system would go a long way at helping her family succeed.
“If I am chosen, having a new HVAC system would not only be beneficial to me, but also my two kids, particularly my son with the immune deficiency,” said the mother. “Not having a worry that my AC/heat can go out at any moment would be an absolute blessing.”
Martins said that it will be a honor to provide for such a strong woman. He said that the entire process is an exciting and enjoyable experience for the staff at IT Landes, too.
“We absolutely love it,” he said, as the installation day draws near. “The employees love it. It is almost like a party for us, like a day off.”
He said, though the process is often typical of a normal HVAC installation as technicians are still paid in full, it is so much fun, it doesn’t feel like work.
“We all wear matching ‘Feel the Love’ T-shirts. We put out yard signs. We bring three or four trucks out, and send more workers than we normally need,” said Martins. “But, we do a big pizza lunch, and with all that fun is going on, a worthy homeowner is also getting a heating and cooling system. It’s win/win for everybody.”
Martins says that the costs of the installation and labor is “more than worth the pay-back to the community.”
The installation will be done locally during the week of Oct. 5 to 12. All throughout the country, those businesses who work with Feel the Love through Lennox, will do installations that same week.
“We even have a sister company in Harrisburg doing it, too,” said Martins.
While IT Landes does participate in community events throughout the year, like its tradition of helping to serve dinner at Manna on Main Street, Martins said of Feel the Love, “this is our biggie.”
“It is a huge deal to everyone here,” he said. “We’re as excited as the homeowner.”
Martins says his favorite part is calling the homeowner to let them know they’ve won.
“I love calling them up and telling them they’ve been selected,” he said. “It is always the same: usually tears, and then shock and dismay when we send them to quote for the equipment to sign.”
While no money exchanges hands, the work order is signed by the homeowner, and during that time, IT Landes Installation Manager Dominic Martorana said, they see the total cost of the project.
“When they see the amount of value in what they are getting …” said Martorana. “[This year’s winner] is coming in just under $13,000.”
IT Landes is in the process of scheduling the installation with the homeowner. We will provide the photos and video of the exciting event and share them here with our readers at that time.
For more information on IT Landes, visit https://itlandes.com/ or call 810-815-9214. IT Landes is located at 343 Godshall Dr., Harleysville.
