Washington, D.C.--Congressman Eliot Engel preliminarily secured $335,000 in funding for Friends Helping Friends and the Pearl River Chamber of Commerce in the FY 2010 Transportation and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill. Friends Helping Friends, which serves all of Ramapo, will receive $135,000 and the Pearl River Chamber of Commerce will obtain $200,000.

This action is the first step in the process, with the bill now to be considered by the full House Appropriations Committee, and then the full House. The Senate is working on its version of the bill.

The Pearl River Chamber of Commerce will use the funds for a streetscape improvement program as part of the Pearl River Downtown Revitalization Plan. Improvements will be made to sidewalks, curbs and tree wells, along with removal of overhead power lines and utility poles on Central Avenue and on North and South Main Streets. The Chamber has been working on revitalization for the last six years to return Pearl River to its roots as a retail center in Rockland County.

Friends Helping Friends will be using their funds to purchase a customized van to transport sick passengers to medical appointments and outpatient treatments. Friends Helping Friends has been reaching out to people in need for the last decade and helps many families facing hardships due to illness, enabling them to better care for sick loved ones.

“Friends Helping Friends and the Pearl River Chamber of Commerce are both very good causes and I am pleased to have secured preliminary funding for them in this bill. Pearl River is truly one of many beautiful parts of Rockland, and I look forward to the day when the downtown revitalization is complete. The families who have benefitted from the selfless work done by Friends Helping Friends have no place else to turn. Helping families deal with illness is certainly something I am pleased to assist with,” said Rep. Engel.

Rep. Engel added, “While this is only the beginning of the Appropriations process, I feel very good that funding for these important projects were included in this measure. I will continue working with my colleagues to ensure this funding is preserved as the bill moves through the legislative process.”