FEMA has awarded Rhea County $15,440 to sup­plement emergency food and shelter pro­grams in the area during 2012, down from $15,793 in 2011.

The selection was made by a national board that is chaired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and consists of representatives from the Salvation Army, American Red Cross, United Jewish Communities, Catholic Charities USA, National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA and United Way of America, which will provide the adminis­trative staff and function as fis­cal agent.

Rhea County Council of Community Services, Inc., is the local board set up to allocate the FEMA funds. RCCCSI is made up of the Rhea County Executive and representatives of the Rhea County United Way and several other local service agencies. The local board was charged to distribute funds appro­priated by Congress to help expand the ca­pacity of food and shelter pro­grams in high-need areas around the country.

RCCCSI will de­termine how the funds awarded to Rhea County are to be dis­tributed among the emer­gency food and shelter programs run by local service organizations in Rhea County.
The local board is responsi­ble for recommending agencies to re­ceive these funds and any addi­tional funds available under this phase of the program.

Under the terms of the grant from the national board, local governmental or private volun­tary organizations chosen to re­ceive funds must: 1) be voluntary non-profits with 501(c)3 designations or units of government, 2) have an accounting system, 3) practice nondiscrimina­tion, 4) have demon­strated the capability to deliver emergency food and/or shelter programs in Rhea County, and 5) if they are a pri­vate vol­untary organization, they must have a voluntary board.

Rhea County has allocated Emergency Food and Shelter funds previously to Our Daily Bread in Spring City and We Care's Haven House and Food Pantry of Dayton.

Public or private voluntary agencies interested in applying for Emergency Food and Shelter Program funds must contact Margaret Bott, RCCCSI secretary, at 365-5020. The deadline for applications is Dec. 18.