Sussex County allocates the last $750,000 of its American Rescue Plan Act funding to the Food Bank of Delaware.
Sussex County received a total of $45.5 million in ARPA assistance, earmarking much of it towards public safety, affordable housing, wastewater infrastructure, and low-income services.
But the last three-quarters of a million dollars is going to the Food Bank of Delaware, which will be used to purchase food items to stock the Food Bank’s Milford facility and distributed to Sussex County residents.
Food Bank VP of External Affairs Chad Robinson says one dollar provides three meals, so this money will be able to purchase more than two million meals at a time when donations and pandemic-era assistance have dropped off.
“We are in a position where we are purchasing more food today to meet the needs of Delawareans than we have at any point in the history of our organization," Robinson says. "And that is coupled with the continued need for food assistance throughout the state.”
Robinson notes the Food Bank distributes food through several Sussex County programs including their mobile pantry, healthy pantry center, and partner organizations.
“And so this investment from Sussex County will allow us to have the food that we need to continue to serve the residents of Sussex County," Robinson says.
