It could be a coworker, a neighbor, a friend, someone you see at church, nearly 40 percent of households in Michigan struggle to pay for basic housing needs including utility bills.

DETROIT – October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Local 4′s thoughts are with Saunteel Jenkins, the CEO of the Heat and Warmth Fund and former Detroit City Council president. Jenkins has spent most of her career in the public eye, serving the community and helping people in need. She’ll be the first to admit she often puts the needs of others before her own. Now, in the middle of a fight for her life, it’s no surprise that her focus is to share her battle in hopes of helping others. You can watch Rhonda Walker’s full conversation with Jenkins in the video posted above.

I don't know about you, but I was not ready for the amount of snow we got. It served as a reminder of how cold our winters get, right before our Gift of Warmth' Telethon. Giving the Gift of Warmth' isn't the first thing on everyone's minds, so they figure they'll donate later, which we understand. The Help Me Hank team is heading into an exciting time! We've got our annual Help Me Hank Toy Test coming up and lots of coverage for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Thats where the Heat and Warmth Fund (THAW) comes in. THAW is a nonprofit organization stabilizing and empowering Michigan families, keeping them healthy, safe and warm. It distributes assistance to vulnerable Michigan residents through 39 agency partners and a series of annual mobile processing events. The number of households that need utility assistance continues to grow each year. Since its inception in 1985, THAW has provided assistance to more than 275,000 Michigan households.