The Emergency Food and Shelter Program began in 1983 with a $50 million federal appropriation. The program was created by Congress to help meet the needs of hungry and homeless people throughout the United States and its territories by allocating federal funds for the provision of food and shelter.
The program is governed by a National Board composed of representatives of the American Red Cross; Catholic Charities, USA; The Jewish Federations of North America; National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA; The Salvation Army; and United Way Worldwide. The Board is chaired by a representative of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
During its 36 years of operation, the program disbursed over $4.5 billion to over 14,000 local providers in more than 2,500 counties and cities.
United Way of Erie County is a member of our local Emergency Food and Shelter Board which recently awarded a total of $144,746 in federal funding to the following organizations.
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania – Emergency Food
- Salvation Army- Hotel/Motel
- St. Martin Center – Rent and Mortgage Assistance
- St. Martin Center – Utility Assistance
Other details: https://www.efsp.unitedway.org/efsp/website/index.cfm