For the 2025 Christmas season, Peninsula Heating and Air celebrated its 18th annual Comfort and Joy program with two free unit installations, rather than one.

Comfort and Joy is a program PHA started in 2007, during the recession. “The company was really just trying to maintain all of our employees, you know, we’re not a seasonal heating and air condition company, and we never have been,” explained Shelby Torres, HR and Office Manager.

When the idea of giving away a system was first brought up, the company didn’t hesitate to reach out to their manufacturer, who was immediately on board for an equipment donation. The origin of the contest, she said, was “giving back in a time where it’s most needed,” said Torres. “Then it carried through the years, recognizing that even if the economy is thriving, there’s always going to be someone struggling.”

For 2025, PHA’s manufacturer Trane reached out, offering to donate an additional system for Comfort and Joy. The two winners that received the units and installations were Christopher Vanvalkenburg and Gary Crawford.

Vanvalkenburg and his family of six had a system more than 16 years old in their home that required numerous repairs every year. The family was nominated by Vanvalkenburg’s sister-in-law in hopes that the family would be able to have reliable heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer.

Crawford, who was a finalist in the drawing a year prior, had dealt with an eight-year-old system that struggled to heat or cool down the family’s home. “I was in an accident and a year later my wife and six-year-old were in a serious accident resulting in both of our cars being totaled,” he stated in his nomination.

Between the loss of both cars and a well system issue that required a costly fix, there was no extra money for the family to spend on a new heating and cooling system.

The installations took place in January, and both families had brand-new units to keep them warm as an ice storm hit the area and brought freezing temperatures with it.