May 18, 2020
By: Dwayne Page
County Mayor Tim Stribling has announced that DeKalb County has been selected to receive $7,105 Emergency Food and Shelter funds and $10,100 for Coronavirus, Aid, Relief & Economic Security (CARES) Act. Funding is provided by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This is the fourth consecutive year that DeKalb County has been selected to receive the Emergency Food and Shelter funds.
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 USA; and, United Way of America.
A Local Board made up of community representatives will determine how the funds awarded to DeKalb County are to be 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 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 capacity 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 EFS Local Board will meet at the DeKalb Senior Center in the DeKalb Community Complex at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 28, 2020 to consider applications for funding. Applications must be delivered to the DeKalb Senior Center in Smithville by 1:00 p.m. that day or may be brought to the meeting by a representative, who is welcome to present the application to the Local Board.
Further information about the program and an application may be obtained by contacting, Pam Redmon, DeKalb Senior Center Director, located at 718 South Congress Blvd., Smithville, TN 37166 Phone: (615) 597-7575.