$500 Comes At Right Time For Worry-Free Winter Winner

Keeping the heat on during winter can be a challenge for many Green Country families. So News On 6 gave away $500 to dozens of families through a special contest.

Panola native Brenda Wilson says her sister had to talk her into entering the "Worry-Free Winter Giveaway."

"I said, ‘I'm not gonna win. It's a gimmick. [I thought] 'they already have it fixed," Wilson said.

Since she was already a fan of Six in the Morning, Wilson said she began setting her alarm every day so she could catch the keyword to play in the contest.

"I wouldn't move because I was afraid I'd miss it, because you only show it one time," she said.

So Wilson stayed persistent, texting in every morning until her husband got a call saying they'd won.

"I told my sister, ‘I gotta hang up, I won something,'" she said.

Wilson's sister Betty Phelps said the $500 couldn't have come at a better time.

Wilson was without a job and her husband was in the hospital, and she was within days of having her electricity cut off.

"Just cause she's my sister doesn't mean I think she need it more than anyone else," Phelps said. "I just know she does."

"I went from the front room to the kitchen to the bedroom to the bathroom, and I still couldn't get service," Phelps said.

Until finally... she got through to News On 6.

"I was crying because I told her I really needed it," Wilson said. "Because my electricity was about to be shut off.

Wilson said she now knows there's a chance of her name being drawn to win for free utilities for an entire year.

"It can't be rigged," she said.

And that even if she doesn't win, she feels blessed to walk away with what she did.

"I think the good Lord was looking out for me, like he always does," Wilson said.

Forty-six people are eligible for the grand prize, including one more "last chance" winner who will be drawn Monday. Tune in to News On 6 on Thursday to find out who walks away with free utilities for an entire year.