Students put their energies into helping families with free insulation

MIDDLEBORO -- Sustainable Middleboro is partnering again this year with high school woodworking students to offer free insulating window inserts for residents served by the Sacred Heart food pantry, Meals on Wheels, or fuel assistance.

The local nonprofit group is taking signups now.

In a room with old leaky windows, the insulating inserts can raise the temperature by more than 20 degrees. They keep residents warmer in winter while helping them save energy and money on heating bills.

Held in place by a half-inch layer of foam, with no adhesives or screws, the inserts are suitable for renters and easy to put in and take out.

In recent weeks Sustainable Middleboro volunteers have been measuring eligible households’ windows for the custom-made inserts.

Over the next two months students at the high school MiLab will make the lightweight frames out of poplar or pine.

In November the nonprofit’s volunteers will assemble the inserts by stretching and heating two layers of shrink film over the wood frames and adding soft foam on the outside, in order to deliver by December.

Last year volunteers and students made 50 inserts for local households as a pilot project. This year their goal is to make 150 or more.

“We got such great feedback from last year’s recipients about how well they worked,” said Hayden Kane, weatherization navigator for Sustainable Middleboro.

“So many people in town can’t afford to replace their windows or add insulation. This program offers a way they can stay warmer and save on heating,” Kane said.

Residents interested in volunteering or donating, and households that are eligible for the free inserts can contact Sustainable Middleboro at 774-419-5250, navigator@sustainablemiddleborough@gmail.com, or sustainablemiddleborough.org.