United Way food pantry woes presented to county board
NORWICH – Evan T. Williams, supervisor of the Town of Otselic, said his rural community of 1,050 residents would indeed feel the ramifications of less United Way funding this year for the local food pantry.
“This will be a large problem for us,” he told Chenango United Way Director Elizabeth Monaco following her annual presentation to the Chenango County Board of Supervisors in Norwich yesterday.
Monaco said she is very concerned and was indeed “weepy” upon learning the news that for the first time in 30 years that Chenango County would lose about $26,000 in federal Emergency Management Agency food and shelter funds. She anticipates the cut will impact the United Way’s goal of raising $444,000. Of the five surrounding counties, only Broome’s funding for food pantries and soup kitchens survived.
The allocations are based on unemployment, graduation and housing affordability rates, which, according to FEMA, have improved in Chenango County. But Monaco, who is advocating for a reversal of the decision, said reports from outlying areas of the county indicate an increasing hunger. She said the ‘working poor’ make up approximately 40 percent of the community’s workforce.
“This really has me concerned. While our unemployment rates have improved, the numbers of working poor here are still deciding between utilities and putting breakfast on the table for their children,” she said.
The Chenango County United Way distributes the federal funding to 17 food pantries and soup kitchens in the county. Monaco told the board that she anticipated that about four panties would be contacting her for emergency assistance to stay open. The United Way has received $600,000 in requests for funding this year. “That would suggest our needs are higher than the data indicates,” she said.
She thanked the supervisors from Pitcher and Smithville for organizing volunteers in their communities to participate in the organization’s kick off event, “Day of Caring.” Overall, 170 volunteers participated on 17 projects designed to raise awareness of community needs and services and to allow contributors to see where donations to United Way go. Monaco said about 70 percent of money raised during the campaign traditionally comes from corporate payroll deductions. She said county employees, however, have “one of the lowest participating rates in the county” in terms of payroll deductions.
“This will be a large problem for us,” he told Chenango United Way Director Elizabeth Monaco following her annual presentation to the Chenango County Board of Supervisors in Norwich yesterday.
Monaco said she is very concerned and was indeed “weepy” upon learning the news that for the first time in 30 years that Chenango County would lose about $26,000 in federal Emergency Management Agency food and shelter funds. She anticipates the cut will impact the United Way’s goal of raising $444,000. Of the five surrounding counties, only Broome’s funding for food pantries and soup kitchens survived.
The allocations are based on unemployment, graduation and housing affordability rates, which, according to FEMA, have improved in Chenango County. But Monaco, who is advocating for a reversal of the decision, said reports from outlying areas of the county indicate an increasing hunger. She said the ‘working poor’ make up approximately 40 percent of the community’s workforce.
“This really has me concerned. While our unemployment rates have improved, the numbers of working poor here are still deciding between utilities and putting breakfast on the table for their children,” she said.
The Chenango County United Way distributes the federal funding to 17 food pantries and soup kitchens in the county. Monaco told the board that she anticipated that about four panties would be contacting her for emergency assistance to stay open. The United Way has received $600,000 in requests for funding this year. “That would suggest our needs are higher than the data indicates,” she said.
She thanked the supervisors from Pitcher and Smithville for organizing volunteers in their communities to participate in the organization’s kick off event, “Day of Caring.” Overall, 170 volunteers participated on 17 projects designed to raise awareness of community needs and services and to allow contributors to see where donations to United Way go. Monaco said about 70 percent of money raised during the campaign traditionally comes from corporate payroll deductions. She said county employees, however, have “one of the lowest participating rates in the county” in terms of payroll deductions.
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