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Speaker 1: For the past forty years, the Salvation Army has been

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Speaker 1: raising money through their Give the Gift of Warmth campaign

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Speaker 1: to help out families that make too much for federal

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Speaker 1: funding but still struggle to pay the bills. And right now,

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Speaker 1: Armel Heischo says the Massachusetts Good Neighbor Energy Fund is

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Speaker 1: seeing a major spike in applications.

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Speaker 2: So this year we are seeing a noticeable increase in

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Speaker 2: calls and applications from the Massachusetts household needing help with

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Speaker 2: hitting costs.

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Speaker 1: He's the Greater Boston Social Services manager for the Salvation

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Speaker 1: Army and says they've been sorting through hundreds of calls

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Speaker 1: from people that need assistance.

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Speaker 2: We are their last resort when they reach out, and

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Speaker 2: then in case they qualify, will help them with a

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Speaker 2: payment of four hundred dollars.

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Speaker 1: He says. The goal is to raise a half a

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Speaker 1: million dollars this year to help out about one thousand,

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Speaker 1: two hundred households.

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Speaker 2: The fund has raised more than twenty five million dollars

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Speaker 2: and more than ninety seven thousand families have received help

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Speaker 2: through the Good Neighbor Energy.

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Speaker 1: Fund In Canton. I'm a freedman, w BUZ, Boston's news

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Speaker 1: radio