City charities split $63,000

This year's checks are in the mail for 11 local nonprofit organizations. \nThe Monroe County Emergency Food and Shelter Program split $63,456 between associations such as Bloomington's American Red Cross, Martha's House and Area 10 Agency on Aging to further their services in food, shelter and utility assistance. \n"The amount that we're allowed to allocate comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency," said Barry D. Lessow, executive director for United Way of Monroe County. "Then what we try to do is make sure that, at the local board level, that those funds are going to address needs in food and shelter and utility assistance." \nFEMA uses a formula that takes into account county population, poverty and unemployment rates to determine the amount of allocated funds. This year's funds increased more than $5,000 from last year's FEMA funds.\n"We've never had a situation where we've had too many funds going to a certain agency or area -- that's never been a problem," Lessow said. "So it's a matter of understanding that we're going to have funds that are needed in all of those areas and what's the optimal arrangement of those funds that we can decide upon. We have seen an increase in demand in all three areas." \nMeri Reinhold, executive director of the Monroe County United Ministries, will see her organization's budget increase by $16,000. She says this money is crucial for United Ministries to further its program assisting Bloomington families with rent and utility bills. \n"In all of last year, we spent $20,000, and $16,000 came from EFSP," Reinhold said. "That's really all the money we have. If we didn't have EFSP we wouldn't have that program." \nThe Monroe County United Ministries helped 68 families with rent assistance and 38 families with utilities assistance last year, Reinhold said. \nSome agencies have felt the pinch of poverty more deeply than others.\n"We have been the recipient of EFSP funds for some time now, so this is something that is a very important component of our budget," said Julio Alonso, executive director of Hoosier Hills Food Bank, which received $10,000 from EFSP. "It's not a huge percentage of our budget necessarily, but every dollar counts to be able to do what we need to do." \nThough he's not sure Monroe County is seeing higher poverty levels, Alonso said he has seen an increase in need for the Food Bank's resources. \n"We've actually struggled to keep enough food in the warehouse to supply to all of our agencies," Alonso said. "It's a huge amount of money and we work to make each dollar go very far. But the more the demand increases for food, the more difficult it is for us to keep food on hand without resorting to steps like purchasing it or arranging for transportation from other donators, like America's Second Harvest." \nAlonso said Hoosier Hills Food Bank will use the money to pay transportation costs and truck maintenance for the vehicles that carry food to the Food Bank's warehouse and agencies. \nVicki Pierce, executive director of Community Kitchen, said she's excited to receive $4,802 in EFSP grants, even though it's about 2 percent of her annual budget. \n"We are pretty community reliant," Pierce said. "So every four or five thousand dollars that we don't have to raise from somewhere else is good." \nCommunity Kitchen will use the money to pay for food and beverage costs as well as items like paper bags for the free lunches they provide to school children, Pierce said.\n"It's always pleasant awarding money when you have more than you need -- that's easy enough," Lessow said. "The challenge is that you have a limited amount of resources and a greater, not infinite, but greater need."\nLessow feels that the funds are given to local agencies that have proven to be the most efficient in providing their services to the people who really need them.\n"The local board is very good at reaching some decision where we all walk out of that room wishing that we had more to give, but comfortable that we've selected agencies that can do the job, and that that money is going to get to the people who need it," Lessow said. "You leave with a sense of satisfaction, maybe not glee, but satisfaction"