ESCANABA — A long-running event meant to help low-income families pay their heating bills will return to two of the three counties it has traditionally been held in next week. The Menominee-Delta-Schoolcraft Community Action Agency (MDSCAA)’s Walk for Warmth will take place on Saturday, Feb. 29, in Escanaba and Manistique.

MDSCAA Executive Director Julie Moberg said Walk for Warmth had been an annual tradition for “years” before she started working at the agency in 2015.

“It’s been happening for a very long time,” she said.

In the past, Walk for Warmth events have been held in Delta, Schoolcraft and Menominee counties. While Menominee County is still part of the Walk for Warmth campaign, an actual walk will not be held in the county in 2020.

“Our walk was declining, so we felt the community just needed a new event to come together on,” Moberg said.

A “Hoops for Heat” basketball game has been scheduled for Saturday, April 18, at North Central Area Junior/Senior High School in Powers. Doors for the event will open at 5 p.m., and the game will start at 7 p.m. A concession stand, 50/50 drawings and bucket raffles will be available.

In Delta County, Walk for Warmth participants will meet at Elks Lodge 354 in Escanaba. From there, they will walk to 10th Street and back. For Schoolcraft County’s event, walkers will gather at the Manistique Senior Center in Manistique and head to the courthouse and back.

Both the Delta County and Schoolcraft County walks will begin at 10 a.m. Registration for the walks will take place from 9 to 10 a.m. Refreshments will be provided.

The walk in Escanaba was preceded by a chili sale, which was held on Feb. 11. According to Moberg, the sale was a success.

“It went well — we raised approximately $3,000,” she said.

Moberg said people can support Walk for Warmth by making a tax-deductible donation (which will stay in the county it is collected in), joining the walk and promoting the event in church bulletins and newsletters.

“We also ask our walkers to take a pledge sheet prior to the walk and get pledges for the walk,” she said.

In 2019, the walk raised $38,390 in Delta County, $2,979 in Schoolcraft County and $17,185 in Menominee County.

“We’re expecting them to be about the same,” Moberg said of anticipated fundraising totals for 2020’s Walk for Warmth.

For more information about Walk for Warmth, visit mdscaa.org.