Grant funds available for food, shelter

By LPR Staff
Editor/POST-REGISTER

Caldwell County residents on the brink of homelessness may soon find assistance in the form of grant funds recently made available through the Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program.

The grant funds, initially made available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and administered locally through Caldwell Cou

nty Christian Ministries, are targeted at keeping those in need fed, clothed and in their homes. To that end, the grant funds can be used, according to FEMA for such things as served meals or groceries; one months’ rent, mortgage or utility payments; lodging in a mass shelter or hotel; or transportation costs associated with the provision of food or shelter.

Applications for the funds are being accepted and processed by a Local Board, affiliated with a not-for-profit organization and an all-volunteer board.

The applications are available at the Caldwell County Christian Ministries Food Pantry, at 901 Bois D’Arc St., in Lockhart. It should be noted that, while the Local Board practices non-discrimination in determining eligibility for the funds available, certain expenses are not eligible for program assistance, such as past due amounts on accounts. In addition, families that have used such funds in the last three years are not eligible for assistance.

Under the current grant cycle, a total of $9,000 is available for Caldwell County residents. That amount will be shared among those returning applications and deemed by the Local Board to qualify for assistance.

For additional information on the program, call Pastor Vi Lee, Local Board Chair, at (512) 992-7519, or contact Rose Dunn-Turner either in person at the Food Pantry, or by calling (512) 376-6661.