The Emergency Food and Shelter Program National Board has awarded Berkshire County $67,202 in Phase 38 (FY20) Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) assistance funding.

 

Northern Berkshire United Way, local administrator of the program, is urging qualifying organizations located throughout Berkshire County to submit an application for supplemental emergency food and shelter and to obtain it at this link: https://www.nbunitedway.org/emergency-food-and-shelte-program

 

 Local organizations chosen to receive funds must be private voluntary non-profits (with a voluntary board) or units of government; have an accounting system; practice non-discrimination; and have demonstrated the capability to deliver emergency food and/or shelter programs.  Applicants must submit their application by email only with their financial audit by midnight on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021 to: Christa Collier at ccollier@nbunitedway.org. Paper applications will not be accepted.

 

The funds are awarded through the Department of Homeland Security and the award is made the Emergency Food and Shelter Program National Board, that consists of representatives from the Salvation Army, American Red Cross, The Jewish Federations of North America, Catholic Charities USA, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA and United Way Worldwide.  Funds pass directly from the Department of Homeland Security to the EFSP program and then to local agencies that are awarded funding through a sub-committee of a local board made up of representatives of organizations that are not requesting or receiving funds determines the actual organizations that receive funding.

 

For Phase 37, EFSP awarded $47,458 which local representatives distributed to eleven Berkshire County organizations: Berkshire Community Action Council, the Berkshire Food Project, the Cheshire Pantry, Child Care of the Berkshires, Construct, Elizabeth Freeman Center, Louison House, Northern Berkshire Interfaith Action Initiative, Salvation Army North Adams, Salvation Army Pittsfield and ServiceNet.