RALEIGH -- No more free caskets.
Wake County social service workers have told funeral directors that Human Services will no longer help out poor families by giving them pine boxes. The county can't pay for them anymore as officials scramble to save money during this year's budget crunch.
Bob Sorrels, deputy director of Wake County Human Services, says for years the agency responded to a limited number of requests from families coming up short in setting up funeral arrangements.
Occasionally, county social services could help out by providing a casket - roughly 20 to 25 times a year, at a total cost of $8,000 to $9,000.
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