News Release
Mass. Good Neighbor Energy Fund is Now Opened to All Qualified Candidates
Springfield, Massachusetts (January 22, 2013) – With the worst winter months still ahead, help is on the way for working families struggling to keep the heat on. The Massachusetts Good Neighbor Energy Fund, supported by WMECo and its customers, is now open to all qualified candidates.
“We know firsthand how winter’s bitter cold makes a bad situation worse for struggling families,” said WMECo President Peter Clarke. “WMECo and our customers have supported The Good Neighbor Energy Fund since it was created to help working families through temporary crisis.”
“While processing the Fund’s emergency cases in December we saw an increased urgency of need,” said Major Robert Goding of The Salvation Army’s Divisional Headquarters in Canton. “We certainly expect that trend to continue throughout the winter season.” Goding added that the Fund has raised more than $18.3 million and assisted over 80,450 needy families since its inception in 1985.
WMECo and its customers have supported the Good Neighbor Energy Fund since its inception and together have raised over $130,000 for the Fund since 2010 alone. The Fund is a cooperative effort between the state's energy companies, their customers and The Salvation Army helping families in temporary financial crisis, who don’t qualify for federal or state aid, to pay their energy bills. This year’s “Give the Gift of Warmth” campaign goal is to help more than 2,000 families.
WMECo customers who want to support the Fund can “Give the Gift of Warmth” by using the Good Neighbor Energy Fund donation envelope found as an insert in their monthly bill, or through WMECo’s ‘Add- A-Dollar' program.
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