FOR IMEDIATE RELEASE
January 7, 2022

Reviving and Rebuilding Rockland

Grant Programs Announced – Applications Now Open

New City, NY, - Rockland County Executive Ed Day and County Legislature Chairman Jay Hood Jr. announced the launch of two grant programs which will each utilize $500,000 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to support local businesses and non-profits.

According to a recent Consumer Reports survey, 19 percent of American grocery shoppers have used a food pantry, food bank, or community food distribution at some point since the pandemic began with about half of them saying they didn’t use these food programs in the year leading up to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Food Security Grant Program will reimburse organizations that distributed food to communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic between $5,000 and $25,000 for qualifying past expenses. Eligible entities include food pantries, food banks, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, and non-profit organizations.

Eligible expenses include, but are not limited to:

• Barriers/Partitions
• Cleaning Supplies
• Food distribution space/pantry rental
• Vehicle rental

Restaurants have faced many difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic such as periods of closure, reduced capacity or declining revenues when customers were unable or unwilling to dine-in. These challenges had significant negative impacts on restaurant employment and the economy.

The Reviving Rockland Restaurants Grant Program will reimburse businesses between $5,000 and $25,000 for past expenses or fund future expenses for eligible outdoor dining COVID-19 mitigation equipment. Eligible entities include restaurants, food stands, food trucks, bars, saloons, lounges, taverns, bakeries, delis, cafes, breweries, wineries, and other similar places of business.

Eligible expenses include, but are not limited to:

• Tents
• Heat Lamps or other electric heating equipment
• Additional tables and chairs for outdoor dining
• Market Umbrellas
• Plexiglass Shields
• Tarps
• Patio Fencing

County Executive Ed Day said, “We have made great progress in recovering from the economic damage of the COVID-19 pandemic with our November unemployment rate reaching 3.3%. But we must continue to support the local organizations that ensure every Rockland family has food to put on their table and the local businesses that are the lifeblood of our economy. These programs will help ensure our economic recovery stays on track.”

County Legislature Chairman Jay Hood Jr. said, “These grant programs will remain open until the funding is exhausted and, depending on the level of need we see, could have more American Rescue Plan Act funds dedicated to them. We encourage all of these eligible entities to apply as soon as they can. They stepped up and did everything in their power to help our residents through the pandemic and we are now doing what we can to support them.”

Applications for these grant programs are now available. For more information and to download an application visit: https://rocklandgov.com/departments/county-executive/reviving-and-rebuilding-rockland/grants/

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