BVNA Nurses Raise Funds for Berkshire Bounty

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The raffle winner selected a tree with $100 in scratch tickets.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Massachusetts Nursing Association members of the Berkshire Visiting Nurses Association raised $650 to help with food insecurity in Berkshire County.
 
The nurses and health-care professionals of BVNA have given back to the community every holiday season for the last three years. The first year, they adopted a large family, raised money, bought, wrapped and delivered the gifts for the family. Last year, they sold raffle tickets and the money raised went to the charitable cause of the winner. 
 
This year, with food insecurity as a rising issue, they chose to give to Berkshire Bounty in Great Barrington.
 
They sold raffle tickets for a drawing to win one of two items: A lottery ticket tree or a gift certificate tree, each worth $100. They will be giving the organization the donation this month.
 
Berkshire Bounty seeks to improve food security in the county through food donations from retailers and local farms; supplemental purchases of healthy foods; distribution to food sites and home deliveries; and collaborating with partners to address emergencies and improve the food system. 

Tags: food pantry,   fundraiser,   nurses,   

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Utilities Back Off Plans to Charge Interest on Deferred Payments

BOSTON — Major utilities have agreed to waive interest charges on Gov. Maura Healey's call for a reduction of gas and electric bills.
 
Healey plans to use $180 million to cut electricity bills by 25 percent and gas bills by 10 percent for residential customers in February and March. The governor pledged the reduction in her State of the Commonwealth speech last month as a way to provide relief to consumers during this frigid winter.
 
The funds will cover only 15 percent of the electricity bills, with utilities voluntarily deferring another 10 percent, which they can recover starting in April. But then they planned to charge customers interest on the deferred payments of up to 6.75 percent. 
 
This move to dun customers with interest and carrying charges apparently came as a surprise to the governor, who demanded they remove the costs. 
 
National Grid, Eversource, Berkshire Gas and Unitil have all agreed to waive all interest charges, the governor said Wednesday.
 
Liberty Gas will not defer any costs. 
 
"Bills are too high and customers can't wait for relief. That's why I acted to get $180 million off winter electric bills and called on the utilities to help provide immediate relief — including waiving interest charges," said Healey in a statement.
 
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