CORNING, NY, March 4, 2008 – The Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program, chaired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has awarded Chemung County with $44,243 and Steuben County with $50,507 to supplement emergency food and shelter programs within the counties.  Monies are allocated by Congress to help expand the capacity of food and shelter programs in high-need areas around the country, and Local FEMA Boards are charged with distribution of these funds to local service agencies.

Under terms of the grant, local agencies chosen to receive these 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) private voluntary organizations must have a voluntary board. 

In both Chemung and Steuben Counties, the local boards have distributed Emergency Food and Shelter funds previously to such agencies as Catholic Charities, the Salvation Army, and the American Red Cross.  As a result in the previous year, 232,383 meals were provided to people in need, 649 households received for rent and/or shelter assistance, and 33 households received utility assistance. 

Qualified agencies interested in applying for Emergency Food and Shelter Program funds are urged to apply; the deadline is Friday, March 14, 2008. 

For more information, contact Paula Borden at United Way of the Southern Tier at (607) 936-3753.

About United Way of the Southern Tier

United Way of the Southern Tier (www.uwst.org) is a locally managed non-profit organization focused on effectively mobilizing the caring power of our community to help people improve their lives. United Way of the Southern Tier is the largest non-governmental provider of funding for health and human services in Chemung and Steuben Counties.

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