Peggy Mills, 74, lost her hydro and her hope until Star readers came to the rescue with offers of financial help.

Star readers have come to the rescue of a 74-year-old pensioner who was left in the dark and without water after Hydro One pulled the plug last week.

The artist from the Bancroft area who had given up her clothes dryer, cable TV and phone to cut costs, became overwhelmed by a $2,500 debt amid rising monthly bills and stopped paying in May.

Peggy Mills lost power just days after she was approved for new energy-saving appliances through a Hydro One program to help low-income customers reduce their bills.

Among almost a dozen readers who have offered to help, is a refugee who says no one in Canada should have trouble paying their electricity bill, a retired teacher who generally doesn’t believe in “Band-Aid solutions” and a Toronto public relations firm that wants to do a good deed.

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