In March 2020, in the midst of a global health crisis, WKMG News 6 launched Make Ends Meet, a franchise spearheaded by investigative reporter Mike Holfeld, to help residents of Central Florida answer financial questions and budget their money throughout a pandemic.

But what it turned into was so much more.

As soon as Holfeld starting profiling struggling families, and their cries for help aired during the newscasts, the phones and emails began pouring in from viewers hoping to donate and lend a hand.

Once stimulus checks began rolling into people’s accounts, the donations surged even more from those hoping to donate the extra cash, to people who need it more.

So far, News 6 and Make Ends Meet have received $50,178 in donations.

Then, Holfeld began holding the Florida Department of Unemployment accountable for their system and response to those in need.

To date, Holfeld and his Make Ends Meet team have helped nearly 100 people, providing them the more than $540,000 they were due, which comes out to an average of about $6,000 per person.

News 6 is nine months into this project, which it plans to continue through 2021.

The goal now? Hit $1 million in recoveries.

When asked if she thinks the team can reach that benchmark, news director Allison McGinley said, “With the generosity of our community, I believe so. Since the introduction of the second round of stimulus checks, we have already started to see additional donations from viewers. So far, families have gifted in excess of $2,000, with several viewers offering funds in advance! I feel confident we will meet or exceed the $50,000 gifted by our News 6 community during the first nine months of this project.”

This proves it: Nothing is better than "Getting Results" for those in need, which is News 6's mantra.

Read some Make Ends Meet stories:

News 6, Addition Financial debut Make Ends Meet fund

News 6 debuts Make Ends Meet initiative to provide budget guidance for viewers

Florida's Fourth Estate: How Make Ends Meet got started

Furloughed bartender has been waiting on $6,500 in unpaid unemployment since May