With the increasing cost of living, some people struggle to pay their bills, make repairs and live a comfortable life. But one man in Burnley, England, noticed this difficulty and wanted to make a difference. James Anderson is hailed as a modern-day hero because of his commitment to his community. He created Disabled & Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repairs (DEPHER), which provides subsidized services for individuals struggling to pay bills, offers emergency plumbing and heating assistance, delivers food and more. Anderson and his team have helped over 52,000 families in the past six years. Anderson thought of launching his own organization after he went to look at a boiler in a gentleman’s house. The company the man went to first attempted to scam him out of thousands of pounds he didn’t have. Anderson noticed that instances like this happen frequently where older adults are taken advantage of. So, he wanted to make a change and ensure others were getting the care they deserved. THE FOUNDER OF DEPHER MADE A DIFFERENCE IN HIS COMMUNITY
had for the United States and standing hand-in-hand to support our country was beautiful. America is special, and it’s worth protecting. It felt like everyone agreed with this sentiment the few days after the 9/11 attacks. I hate that it takes a tragedy for a nation to come together, but I miss the unity we all shared that day. Today, our country is divided. There is so much hatred and bias today that I think it’s clouded many minds. People have forgotten how special our country is. I wish we could all come together and share the same patriotic and unified spirit we all had years ago. Hopefully, we will find that common ground soon. I just hope it doesn’t take another traumatic event for us to get there. Network. He doesn’t want anyone to feel like they are alone. There are people who want to help and provide them with a better way of living. Recently, Anderson and his team helped a 78-year-old woman who couldn’t afford to pay for her groceries because of her bills. The energy company she uses recently took £766 ($909) out of her account, which was much more than what she owed. DEPHER stepped in and covered the elderly woman’s groceries but also got the energy company to issue her a full refund. The random acts of kindness by DEPHER have impacted not only the individuals who receive help but also people worldwide. Some of Anderson’s works went viral on social media a couple of months ago and inspired others to help those in their community.
“What we try to do is help people realize there is somebody out there who will help them,” Anderson told Good News
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believe it. It felt like I was in a parallel universe watching the towers fall and seeing people’s lives end. In just three hours, everything changed. I wish it were a bad dream and we would all wake up. But this wasn’t a dream — it was a horrifying reality. My wife came by the house I cooked at, and we just hugged each other and sobbed. Our hearts went out to families who were severely impacted. I worried about our nation and what would come from this horrific tragedy. I’ll never forget trying to explain this incident to my daughter, who was in third grade at the time. I couldn’t find the right words or explanation to give her because I couldn’t quite understand it myself. It felt like all the oxygen had been taken out of our bodies for the next few days. The whole world shut down as people tried to come to terms with the incident. I canceled all my appointments for the rest of the week as our nation tried to heal. Although this was a horrifying day for us Americans, I’ve never seen our country come together in such unity after the attack. Seeing the patriotism people
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