A local heating and cooling company jumped at the chance to help a neighbor in need on Oct. 6 as part of HVAC equipment supplier Lennox’s weekend to “Feel the Love” program.

New Haven resident Jimmy Bradley was the first recipient from Connecticut to receive a new furnace from the program, initially named Heat U.P., that was started in Wisconsin in 2009 by 82 Lennox dealers who wanted to give back to their communities.

“This is the first year that it’s been in Connecticut,” said Chris Piroli, manager and licensed contractor with East Haven’s Viglione Heating and Cooling, Inc. “Once we heard about it, we signed up. We were the only contractor that signed up for the program.”

Piroli, a grandson of Viglione founder Stephen J. Viglione, Sr., is proud that his family-run business was able to provide comfort to a customer in need and said that sort of connection is part of the company DNA.

“I learned everything from my grandfather,” said Piroli.

This includes not only giving back to the community, Piroli said, but treating employees like they are a part of the family.

“He’s the one that taught me, it’s not just work,” said Piroli. “We have an employee that has been here for 50 years. If you join the business, you become a part of the family. You don’t leave.”

Piroli was pleased to be able to help his customer.

“One of my techs was out there at Bradley’s house and saw that he had no heat,” Piroli said. “We thought he was a perfect candidate. I nominated him myself.”

Piroli enlisted the help of about “20 employees who donated their time on a Sunday. They took it upon themselves.”

While Piroli’s team installed a new furnace, other volunteers fixed up Bradley’s bathroom and windows and cleaned his basement, which had recently been extensively damaged by rain water.

Recipients of the Feel the Love program are selected based on a variety of criteria,” said Logan Kearins, a spokesperson for Texas-based Lennox. “Each recipient has one thing in common: They always put others first. Past nominees include community figures such as teachers, firefighters, and volunteers; families facing hard times; veterans; senior citizens living in older homes; and people impacted by natural disasters.”

Although Bradley spent most of his working days as a cook at a local restaurant chain, he also drove an ice cream truck. A well-known purveyor of frozen treats, Bradley stocked up on extra ice cream so that local kids knew they could depend on him for satisfying their sweet tooth, even when they couldn’t afford it.

“Mr. Bradley is the ideal candidate, as he is a longstanding member of his community and ultimately, his story resonated with the team,” said Lennox Marketing Program Manager Daniel Parker.

In 2018, Feel the Love assisted homeowners from 19 states and five Canadian provinces by donating and installing more than 165 new furnaces in recipients’ homes, according to Kearins.

The company offered its program in Connecticut for the first time this year to commemorate the program’s 10-year anniversary.