The Emergency Food and Shelter Program for Phelps County is accepting applications from local non-profit agencies or governmental units that can assist in providing food and shelter to citizens in the event of a catastrophic emergency.
Phelps County recently was awarded $21,852 in federal funds under the Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program to supplement emergency food and shelter programs throughout the county.
The deadline to submit applications for a portion of the funding is 5 p.m. March 22 at the courthouse, located at 200 N. Main, Suite 125, in the Treasurer’s Office.
Phelps County Treasurer Carol Green said a meeting of the local board tasked with disbursing the funds is scheduled at 1:15 p.m. March 23 at the courthouse.
Phelps County was selected to receive the funds by the National Board, which is chaired by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency, and other representatives from the Salvation Army, American Red Cross, Catholic Charities USA, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA and the United Way of America. The National Board was charged with distributing funds appropriated by Congress to help expand the capacity of food and shelter programs in high-need areas around the country.
The Phelps County Local Board is comprised of representatives from the same organizatons and Presiding Commissioner Randy Verkamp. Together they will determine how the funds awarded to Phelps County are to be distributed among the emergency food and shelter programs run by local agencies in the area.
According to Green, under the terms of the grant from the National Board, local agencies chosen to receive funding must:
1. Be private voluntary non-profits or units of the government;
2. Be eligible to receive federal funds;
3. Have an accounting system;
4. Practice nondiscrimination;
5. Have demonstrated the capability to deliver emergency food and, or, shelter programs;
6. A private voluntary organization must have a voluntary board.
Green urged qualifying agencies to apply for the funds before the deadline.
