Tuesday, October 13, 2009 By GEORGE GRAHAM
SPRINGFIELD - Need food or shelter? Help with rent or utility bills? Call 2-1-1.
Those three numbers, available 24 hours a day, tap into the United Way's Mass 211 help line.
The service also provides employment support and support for seniors, those with disabilities, youth and families.
Last year, nearly7,000 people within the United Way of Pioneer Valley service area called for help with such things as emergency fuel needs or food, rental assistance and health and social needs, officials say.
Statewide, that number is topped only by the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley which received some 16,000 calls.
"Certainly the economy is a factor," said Ronald A. Copes, interim president of the United Way of Pioneer Valley and chief executive officer, adding that community leaders are being told about the importance of the help line as a resource.
"We are hopeful that word is getting out," Copes said.
Statewide, more than 4,300 calls are made each month to the single call center office in Framingham.
Gary R. Lever, who manages the service, said a call to 211 is, for some people, like the last straw.
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