Shelter, food program gets $5,000 raise

The goal is to help unemployed Columbia County residents.

The means will be $14,496 in federal funding.

That's how much Columbia County recently approved to receive this year as part of an Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program.

"It's based on unemployment and the number of people in poverty," said Barry Forde, the associate director of Golden Harvest Food Bank, referring to the national program started in 1983. "This year, (the funding) went up fairly significantly (for Columbia County)."

Forde said the money is allocated to counties throughout the nation each year as a way to meet the needs of the poor. He said a local board then decides how the money is to be distributed.

"It is specifically designated for help with assistance in the areas of food and shelter in the county," he said.

This year's funding was an increase of nearly $5,000. Forde speculated the extra money was allocated for two reasons.

"What I suspect in Columbia County is very specifically the two groups that we serve the most of, which are elderly and children, are probably significantly growing," he said.

And the elderly have benefited greatly from the money, he said.

"In the past, it's been used for basically a two fold purpose," he said. "Number one, it's been used to provide funding for the senior citizens' brown bag program and home bound program. The rest of the money has been used for general food distribution."