Local nonprofits to share more than $80,000 grant

♦ United Way is distributing the funds from a federal emergency grant program.

Seven local nonprofits will share an $84,350 grant from the federal Emergency Shelter and Food Program board.

Alli Mitchell, executive director of the United Way of Rome and Floyd County, said all of the organizations that applied are receiving part of the grant.

Recipients are Hospitality House, Rome-floyd YMCA, Summit Quest, Action Ministries Rome, Journey Food Pantry, Open Door Home and Salvation Army.

Mitchell said Floyd County was awarded the amount from ESFP based on the area’s metrics.

The ESFP is overseen by a national board chaired by a representative from the

Federal Emergency Management Agency. It helps fund local agencies to provide food and shelter.

United Way’s role now is to administer the grant. It initially advertised the opportunity to local nonprofits and created a board to determine which ones should receive grant money and how much.

“Agencies apply, based on food or sheltering needs, since that’s what the funding is to cover,” Mitchell said. “Then what the local board did was basically look at community need.”

This specific grant included supplemental funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.

The local board included Father Rafael Carballo from St. Mary’s Catholic Church,

Cathy Aiken-freeman from Interagency Council on Preventing Homelessness, Drew Taylor from the Community Kitchen and others who met the criteria of reflecting the makeup of the national board.

The board also looked at what the agencies provide and how they work together.

“We try and split up the funding in as fair a way as possible, because everybody needs funding,” Mitchell said.

The grant was allocated in the following amounts:

♦ Hospitality House: $10,000

♦ Rome-floyd YMCA: $8,000

♦ Summit Quest: $5,000

♦ Action Ministries Rome: $15,337.50

♦ Journey Food Pantry: $15,337.50

♦ Open Door Home: $15,337.50

♦ Salvation Army: $15,337.50