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we continue our series about going on the road to Franklin County
and learning more about this vital community in Western Mass
well tonight we talk about the high cost of heating and hunger issues
with Dino shali and Peter wingate from Community Action
we previously taped this conversation at Greenfield Community College
Massachusetts about three years ago was getting up to 180 million dollars a year
to help provide people fuel systems
with your done $221 million about it 33 percent cut
at that same time we're seeing more people or sitting services
so we have plans in place wanna make sure everybody knows that the program
was up and running
able to provide service to everybody but what we have available for anyone
household just does not come close to meeting
went to me you mention how cold spell the last couple days it's been freezing
our phones are ringing off the hook
people who have done what they're supposed to do got the people working
we've got them certified got them a delivery of your
quite often no hope runner the fuel assistance benefit have a long time ago
this winter with possibly
no heat we're trying to scramble to come up with the money to get and we'll
deliver
and we're going to come back and talk about what options are available to them
but Dino talk to us about now also it with the winter months and the cold
he is important but also hunger it everywhere on to talk about what you do
with community action to provide
food to families in Franklin County we run at the Center for self-reliance food
pantries which is a
a a full-time food pantry here in Greenfield
we also run a satellite pantry program out in Shelburne Falls
the West County Emergency Food Pantry which is to serve the Western Franklin
County residents
a right now we are serving about 600 to 650 families
every month the in the last 12 months
we've served we given food to about 15,000 people
last year just in Franklin County we fed
about 3500 people just one time
and the the demand for food the
people coming to our door I'm enrolling 25 to 35
new families at least a month on the economy has not improved in a lot of
part to Franklin County so people are still not finding jobs are they getting
laid off
on with unemployment benefits being cut now by the federal government
those are those people are going to be needing food more than ever and about
the rural affect other kid-friendly had as much more rural areas I'm sure that
plays a part
in this as well too exactly exactly for example
the unemployment rate here in Greenfield is somewhere around
8.5 8.9 percent I believe the last numbers I looked at
the unemployment rate in Shelburne Falls is ten point nine percent
a be cuz have the availability of jobs
the skill level for a lot of folks who live out in those were all communities
he's just not as diverse so there there are not as many opportunities for folks
to get employment I'm and the percentage
actually a people who are enrolled in food stamps our the SNAP program
in rural Franklin County is actually higher
than it is for the the people who live here in the Greenville area
wow and I'm sure that plays a part in that fuel assistance need as well
in a much more rural community and the type of heating: as well to do that
maybe other areas if you have gas he can be shut off during the wintertime
but came here in Franklin County exactly that's a big part of what we deal with
like to mention people with natural gas for heat or electric for heat
can't be shut up during the winter time if they if they're low-income if they
have a
elder or small child in the house if you have oil for your propane a curacy
in Europe he there's nobody there to help you you have to have money
usually cash on delivery to get an oil delivery unless you have your sins
we work with just about all the fuel vendors in the Franklin County area to
provide the service
but then it gets back to what we mentioned before that if you've used up
if you think you could end up
have to scramble or have no heat or choose literally between a team
and heating your house so what happens then when somebody they're given
I think the maximum there helped exit nine hundred fifty dollars
that's initially thought okay for that the month that's for the entire year and
we now feel was not that cheap so
what happened in a reach that and then there's no other place and
will there a few other things we can try to help people out with the citizens
energy program kicks in each year we try to steer some people
that correction that the much smaller drop in the bucket and a lot of people
realize
but a lot of people end up making very tough choices and sometimes very
dangerous situations
using wood stoves or it may not be properly installed you seen space
heaters aren't safe
um if you've ever lived in the house when it was called you don't always make
good decisions when people get caught they don't always make the best
decisions
so we have some we tried it encourage people to get a whole the family get a
hold of churches
really do try to scramble any way they can get some money together to get
another
delivery oil a minimum delivery oils usually 150 gallons
price right now covering a little book low four dollars
the math is pretty simple that's a lot of money to have on hand for low-income
households get a
world delivered see you have also people that are struggling with
hunger or need food there probably also struggling
with on eat fuel assistance as well they need to help wit
heat up their home to stay warm as well and this is where community action tried
to step in
to help with the do you define especially when it comes to you on the
hunger issue that
community action sees more other knee during the winter months with the need
for food or
the the demand for and the amount of a
people coming in for food definitely increases
during the winter months a it the
be for a number of reasons a the local food is a little bit more accessible
during the summer
a he it for a number business yes
its its E when you're paying again when you're paying more for your
a few us your heating bills or your electric bill
are you paying to get the propane so that you have gas for yourself
I am you don't have as much money for for for buying the food
so it it definitely makes in it we are we see an increase
sees only in that way Dina Peter from Community Action thank you guys so much
thank you thank you