ALMOST $500,000 IN TAX REFUNDS AND SAVED TAX PREPARATION FEES IN THE 2011 TAX SEASON!
For the last three years, Berwick Area United Way has managed a free state and federal income tax filing site. Trained and supervised by the IRS, volunteers prepare tax returns for working families who make less than $50,000 per year. With an acceptance rate of 95%, the Berwick Area United Way is one of the best sites in the state. In 2011, 309 families received almost $500,000 in tax refunds without paying a single penny for the service.
Some families use their tax refunds to catch up on bills or complete delayed car or house repairs. One single mother of 3 used her refund to replace an aging heating system and got rid of expensive and dangerous space heaters. Another family got caught up on medical bills for a seriously ill infant and another scheduled ental appointments for the whole family.
One family used their refund as a down payment on a small house. With both parents working full time, the family still found it hard to save enough for a down payment but they were determined to get their two children out of the one bedroom apartment. Their tax refund of $7,100 was enough for them to make a down payment on a house, pay closing costs and still have a little left. The family now shares three bedrooms and a bath but best of all, there's a fenced backyard. Not only can the children safely play outside but the eight year old boy is the proud owner of a new puppy "because we have a backyard!"
The stories of the lives changed by the free tax site are as diverse as the people who file their taxes at the site. But they have one thing in common - they all worked during the last year and they all did the best they could to care for their families. The hand up they get from their tax refunds can often be the difference between a family making it and a family falling apart.
On behalf of the families whose lives you have touched, thank you!