Nearly $300,000 in federal funding to area communities will help Hoosiers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fountain County, Attica and Roachdale were awarded grants through the COVID-19 Response Program from the Indiana Office of Community & Rural Affairs. The program redirects federal funds to rural communities to aid in the fight against the virus.
“Early on, we just realized that COVID was probably going to be bigger than people were wanting to realize it was going to be,” said Kelly Thornburg, preparedness coordinator and grant manager for the Fountain & Warren Health Department, which applied for funding to start a supply delivery program.
The $75,000 grant will help bring food and hygiene products to people who are unemployed, elderly, immunocompromised, isolated or quarantined. The department is applying for the rest of the funding needed to launch the program and will seek volunteers to make the deliveries.
In Roachdale, the money will be used to provide food to residents dealing with the economic fallout from the virus. The food pantry at Roachdale Christian Church, like others in the area, is seeing an increase in clients. The local school district has been serving meals to students.
“But that’s going to end here in a few weeks, and so I feel like that’s going to create even more demand for people that don’t have what they need to get through their week,” said Katrina Asher, president of the town council.
As part of the $75,000 grant, the pantry is going to receive month’s supply of groceries and the town’s senior meal program will expand to serve more clients. Groceries will also be purchased for residents in low-income housing.
Attica received $148,000 to provide local businesses with operational grants and support low-to-moderate-income workers.
The city recently launched an Emergency Relief Forgivable Loan program offering up to $2,000 to qualifying small businesses financially impacted by the virus.
Statewide, more than 60 rural communities have been awarded more than $12 million through the program for internet access, testing and diagnosis of COVID-19, increasing the capacity of local health services, establishing delivery services and retaining jobs.
More funding will be distributed in future rounds of the program, according to the state.
