FARMINGTON — The United Way of the Tri-Valley Area will receive additional support from a $10,496 federal grant to help several local food pantries address hunger.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins made the announcement earlier this week of the funding that included $93,000 to help Cumberland County fight hunger and homelessness. The grant program is run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“The weak economy has been tough on families across the country and Maine is no exception,” Collins said. “We think of FEMA as helping Americans recover from storms, but, in this case, these grants will help Mainers ride out our struggling economy.”

“The people of rural, western Maine are increasingly experiencing challenges, including hunger. This funding will help provide at least 2,328 vulnerable individuals additional meals each month,” said Lisa Laflin, executive director of the United Way of the Tri-Valley Area.

After an annual allocation from the federal government was cut by 41 percent over the past year, Laflin said she wasn’t happy. 

The United Way usually receives funds in the $20,000 range, she said. Only $12,700 was awarded in July of 2011.

They were not alone. Cumberland and other communities including San Francisco were cut to zero funding, she said.

Realizing the need for a diversity of funding sources including grants to help with the needs of the community, she took advantage of the opportunity to apply for additional funding, she said. The funding was only available to a few communities that could prove need.

The money was available from funds left when some recipients did not spend all the money allotted. There were also cases of food pantries and shelters that had to return funds because they were out of compliance. It was not from additional appropriations, she said.

It was a long application process for the funds that included three rounds of providing data.

A local board with representatives from a variety of agencies including the American Red Cross and Salvation Army, not the United Way, will decide how the new funds are divided among the nine out of 10 food pantries in the region that the United Way works with, she said.

As with many grants, there’s also more expectation on recipients to show the national board details of how the money is spent.

In addition, the United Way of the Tri-Valley Area has received a $7,500 grant from the County Funds of the Maine Community Foundation to support the expansion of the Community Energy Challenge.

Now in its fourth year, CEC has volunteers measure, build and install interior storm windows throughout Franklin County.

From these funds, two satellite workshops, one in the Kingfield area and one in the Jay/Livermore Falls area, will be developed, she said.

For more information about how you can volunteer to be part of a community workshop this fall, or how you can receive interior storm window panels, call Nancy Teel, Volunteer Center coordinator, at 778-5048.

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