Pittsburgh-area family gets new furnace for free

With the weather getting into the 30s overnight, help is here just in time for a Pittsburgh-area family who needed a new furnace.

On Friday, May Heating and Air Conditioning installed a free heating and air conditioning system for a family in Shaler through Lennox Feel the Love Program.

While May Heating and Air Conditioning was hard at work removing the old heating and air conditioning unit and installing a brand new one for free, Mary Lou Hepner sat upstairs, grateful.

"That's wonderful. It's hard to believe that this is happening to me. It's quite a shock," Hepner said. 

Hepner recently returned to the home where she's lived for 53 years after dealing with some medical complications. She lives with her son, who has had health issues stemming from cerebral palsy.

May Heating has serviced their furnace for years and knew it needed to be replaced. They nominated the Hepners for the "Feel the Love" program, where Lennox donates the equipment and May donates the labor.

"All along, you get to spend some time with the family and kind of get to know them more than what you do on a service call, so to speak. So it's nice coming in, getting to know the family, really seeing how much this helps them as well," said co-owner Alex May. 

For 16 years, May and Lennox have partnered on this program. With three generations of the May family helping out with the installation, it's clear they're a family company that cares.

"I appreciate your dad and your company. It's nice to have good neighbors like that," Hepner said. 

"We're here for you," May replied.

Tonight, Hepner and her son will feel a special kind of warmth — not just from the new furnace heating their home, but from the generous spirit of neighbors who made it possible.