Cannon wins food, shelter grant

Cannon County has been chosen to receive $5,898 to supplement emergency food and shelter programs in the county under Phase 33 of the Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program (EFSP).

The selection was made by a National Board that is chaired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and consists of representatives from The Salvation Army; American Red Cross; United Jewish Communities; Catholic Charities, USA; National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.; and United Way of America, which provides the administrative staff and functions as a fiscal agent. The Local Board is charged with distributing the funds appropriated by Congress to help expand the capacity of food and shelter programs in high-need areas around the country.

The Local Board, made up of representatives from the American Red Cross, Cannon County Government, Domestic Violence Program, United Way of Rutherford & Cannon Counties, and others, will determine how the funds awarded to Cannon County are distributed among the emergency food and shelter programs run by local service agencies in the area. The Local Board is responsible for recommending agencies to receive these funds and any additional funds made available under this phase of the program.

Under the terms of the grant from the National Board, local agencies chosen to receive funds must 1) be private voluntary non-profits or units of government, 2) have an accounting system, 3) practice nondiscrimination, 4) have demonstrated the capability to deliver emergency food and/or shelter programs, and 5) if they are a private voluntary organization, they must have a voluntary board. Qualifying agencies are urged to apply.

The EFSP was authorized under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (P.L. 100-77 signed into law on July 24, 1987, since renamed the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and subsequently reauthorized under P.L. 100-628, signed into law on November 7, 1988). Since 1983, in its 33-year history, the EFSP will have distributed $4.198 billion to over 14,000 human service agencies in more than 2,500 communities across the country through this collaborative effort between the private and public sectors.

Public or private voluntary agencies interested in applying for Emergency Food and Shelter Program funding should contact Randy Allen at the United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties at (615) 893-7303 or Randy.Allen@yourlocaluw.org for an application. The deadline to submit an application is 4:00 PM on Tuesday, August 9, 2016.