According to a press release, Cuyahoga County has increased its emergency food assistance funding by $250,000 due to a sharp increase in emergency calls as a result of recent power outages.
On August 6, storms swept through northeast Ohio, leaving thousands of county residents without power for several days. Refrigerators and freezers full of food were damaged, the press release said.
Cuyahoga County will work with the Greater Cleveland Food Bank to replenish food supplies lost due to the outages, the press release said.
“We know that many of our low-income and no-income residents were severely impacted by the storms and lost a significant amount of food. Additionally, efforts to mitigate the loss were further complicated by limited power and cell service,” said David Merriman, director of Cuyahoga County Health and Human Services, in the release. “These funds will allow us to accelerate relief efforts and help families get back on their feet.”
The board of supervisors approved additional county contributions to the United Way of Greater Cleveland’s emergency food procurement contract, the press release said.
The emergency request is supported by data from United Way Services of Greater Cleveland, which showed a more than 300 percent increase in requests for food services as a result of the storms, the press release said.
“We value our partnership with Cuyahoga County,” Kristin Warzocha, president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, said in the release. “These funds will help families and seniors in need following recent storms and power outages. They will be used to purchase and distribute additional healthy protein and dairy products, as well as other nutritious foods, so our neighbors can restock their refrigerators and freezers.”
Food Bank locations can be found at https://www.greaterclevelandfoodbank.org/get-help/map.
To volunteer, get involved, or support the Greater Cleveland Food Bank financially, visit www.GreaterClevelandFoodBank.org.
Cuyahoga County is also working with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service on additional food replacement efforts, the press release said.
