Montgomery County has distributed $1.2 million in grants for 38 nonprofits to provide residents with a steady, reliable supply of food.
From the fund, $303,900 will be specifically used to purchase culturally appropriate food from ethnic grocery stores to distribute among vulnerable communities. Eleven of the 38 nonprofits received funds for that purpose.
The organizations and their awards are:
● Catholic Charities – $60,000
● Chinese Cultural and Community Center – $60,000
● International Cultural Athletic Association – $60,000
● Kingdom Fellowship AME Church – $60,000
● Nourish Now – $60,000
● Rainbow CDC – $60,000
● CASA – $59,200
● Germantown Black Rock Hub – $57,600
● Salvation Army – $56,000
● Vietnamese Americans Services – $51,200
● American Diversity Group – $46,400
● Adventist Community Services – $38,400
● Manna Food Center – $37,500
● WWCM – $37,500
● Islamic Center of Maryland – $35,250
● Korean Community Service Center of Greater Washington – $35,250
● The Living Legends Awards for Service to Humanity – $35,250
● Hughes UMC – $32,000
● Up2Us Foundation – $24,800
● Direct Support for Immigrants – $24,000
● Islamic Community Center of Potomac – $23,500
● Jewish Council for the Aging – $21,600
● Hindu American Community Services – $20,000
● Indonesian American Association – $19,975
● Shepherd’s Table – $19,861
● Washington Youth Foundation Inc. – $18,800
● Bethel World – $17,100
● Latin American Youth Center – $15,200
● Kings and Priests Court International Ministries – $14,400
● Help for Life Foundation – $14,241
● Humanity First USA – $14,100
● American Muslim Senior Society – $13,876
● So What Else – $12,800
● Silver Spring Christian Reformed Church – $12,220
● Goshen United Methodist Church – $9,635
● YMCA Youth & Family Services – $8,420
● AHC Inc. – $7,238
● Gaithersburg Help – $6,684
The County Council has designated about $50 million to address various community needs related to the pandemic in the past two and a half months, through several individual relief funds.
The largest fund — a $25 million Public Health Emergency Grant (PHEG) program — was created for small businesses and nonprofits to receive grants of up to $75,000.
As of Tuesday, approximately $6 million is left in the fund. Of that remainder, the majority —$5 million — is specifically set aside for restaurants and retail stores.
Jerome Fletcher, an assistant chief administrative officer for the county, said employees expect to finish reviewing the grant applications on Friday or Monday.
When asked for a copy of the grant awardees, Fletcher told Bethesda Beat in a Monday text message that the county’s attorneys have “advised us not to release the awardees until the program is complete.”
The County Council has also requested a list of awardees of the PHEG program in past meetings. In a text message on Monday, Council Member Andrew Friedson wrote that the council also had not received it yet.
The rest of the funds that the council has appropriated for responding to the public health increases include:
• $10 million to assist individuals and families
• $10 million for emergency purchases and costs caused by surges in virus cases for hospitals
• $2 million for housing stabilization and rental assistance for residents who have informal rental agreements
• $1.5 million in grants to help cover costs
