Macon Magazine

The Mentor's Project received the same amount of grant funding and aspires to make a difference in a child's life by improving the graduation rate and providing wraparound services for students. It also feeds children and their families during holiday and summer breaks. During the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, The Mentor's Project fed more than 12,000 students and their families. "We will be able to deliver and provide food, not only to students in the Mentor's Project, but to other students as well," said The Mentor's Project Executive Director June O'Neal. "We are so thankful to receive this money because we'll be able to expand our feeding program." Meanwhile, our local government is also working to make sure local organizations and business owners have what they need to continue to help. Opening the Brookdale Resource Center in 2021 so people could stay the night, get a meal, and access so many other resources was part of the county's effort to address food insecurity. MIDDLE GEORGIA FOOD BANK With ARP and grant funding, the Middle Georgia Food Bank was able to begin construction for its new expansion of its headquarters on Ocmulgee East Boulevard. Construction started in July 2022 for additional lobby and administrative space, renovations of a boardroom for meetings and training, building upgrades, and entrance expansion. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs awarded Macon- Bibb County $2,318,898 as part of a Community Development Block Grant, with Macon-Bibb matching that with $993,814 of its own ARP funds. All of this funding was then awarded to the food bank. "This money will help us with staff support for partner agencies throughout 24 counties where food is distributed to neighbors in need," said Middle Georgia Food Bank President and CEO Kathy McCollum. "It also helps with more staff support for programs to reach pockets of underserved areas where people in need are limited by transportation, economic barriers, and local access to fresh produce and nutritious food." "Too many people are struggling with food insecurity in our community, and this is another way we are working to improve access to healthy, quality food," said Mayor Lester Miller. "People should not have to worry about where their family's next healthy meal will come from, and I want to thank the Food Bank for all they do to help keep that from happening." "Our job is to make sure we invest in ways that aren't just a one- time shot in the arm, but that the money is spent in a way that has long-lasting effects. We cannot fix hunger overnight, but we can make sure our neighbors survive the night and have the resources they need to reclaim their lives in the morning," Clark agreed. ECD AND THE SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM The funding for the Food Bank was part of nearly $2.5 million in ARP funds Commissioners approved to be used to address food insecurity issues in 2021. Part of that was approving $1 million for the Economic and Community Development Department (ECD) to use as a revolving loan fund as part of its Small Business Development Assistance Program. As a revolving loan fund, the businesses eventually have to pay RIGHT: FOOD BANK STAFF PREPARE GOODS FOR DISTRIBUTION FEBRUARY/MARCH 2023 | maconmagazine.com 77

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