HOLYOKE — With home heating costs expected to spike as much as 60% this coming winter, many low-income individuals struggling to pay utility bills could face shutoffs just as the cold weather sets in. Responding to this need, PeoplesBank has donated $45,000 in total to three local nonprofit organizations.
Although there are several government assistance programs designed to address this need, there is always a gap between the need and the available resources, as well as the ability to receive such funds in a timely manner when shutoff dates are looming. The bank’s Simple Emergency Fuel Assistance program aims to help fill those gaps.
In response to this emergency need, PeoplesBank is working with the following organizations to provide fuel assistance to the communities the bank serves:
■Community Action for Pioneer Valley, which provides fuel assistance in Hampshire and Franklin counties. The nonprofit can be reached at 800-370-0940 or at communityaction.us/fuel-assistance%20.
■The Valley Opportunity Council, which provides fuel assistance in Hampden County. The agency can be reached at 413-552-1554, or at valleyopp.com/energy-assistance/fuel-assistance.
BOSTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency will send nearly $1.1 million to Massachusetts to reimburse Smith College for the cost of testing students, faculty and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The public assistance grant will reimburse the private liberal arts women’s college in Northampton for the cost of contracting to administer 119,447 tests between January and June 2022.
FEMA’s Public Assistance program is an essential source of funding for states and communities recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency. So far, FEMA has provided more than $1.4 billion in grants to Massachusetts to reimburse the commonwealth for pandemic-related expenses.
AMHERST — The monthly Song & Story Swap will feature The Troubled Sisters on Saturday, Dec. 3, at First Church, 165 Main St, from 7 to 9 p.m. The swap is sponsored by the Pioneer Valley Folklore Society of western Massachusetts (https://pvfs.us).
The Trouble Sisters are Melissa Ortquist and Laurie Siegel from the Hudson Valley, and Karen Brooks from Heath. These three women met singing with Pete Seeger and have kept on singing harmonies, original tunes and old familiar friends.
The event will also be conducted as a Zoom online meeting. To register for the event visit https://pvfs.us/register-for-swap or https://pvfs.us and click on the “Register” button at the top of the page. The swap will also be broadcast over YouTube Livestream at https://pvfs.us/livestream-swap.
Admission is free, with a suggested minimum donation via virtual tip jar to the artist of $7.50.