Washington, D.C. -  U.S. Rep. Timothy V. Johnson today announced more than $350,000 in grants under the Emergency Food and Shelter Program for 10 counties throughout the 15th Congressional District.

   The money goes to a local board in each of the counties, often a United Way board, which then distributes the money to qualifying applicants.

   “This program has been a terrific public-private partnership that allows federal funds to be distributed by the people at the local level to those most vulnerable,” Rep. Johnson said.

    Additional jurisdictions in the district and state may be selected at a later date by the EFS State Set-Aside Committee. The EFS National Board, chaired by the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and composed of representatives from American Red Cross; Catholic Charities, USA; United Jewish Communities; National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA; The Salvation Army and United Way of America provide supplemental funding to shelters, soup kitchens and food banks.

    In some cases, money is made available for individual and family temporary, non-disaster, emergency assistance.

    The EFS Program has been in existence since 1983 and was authorized under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987.  The EFS Program has distributed more than $2.952 billion to communities nationwide, and has accounted for millions of additional meals and nights of shelter to the hungry and homeless most in need across the nation.

   Within the 15th Congressional District, the counties selected for funding followed by the amounts received are as follows: Champaign, $84,192; Coles, $26,662; Crawford, $12,901; Lawrence, $9,102; McLean, $70,711; Macon, $69,788; Saline, $15,027; Vermilion, $50,296; Wabash, $7,900; White, $8,823.

###