West Central Reporter

Macomb Community Development Director John Bannon asked the City Council to authorize the release of 12 monetary awards during its Dec. 19 meeting.

The City Council was considering approving a plan to award $4,200 to 12 different local organizations, totaling $50,400 in overall grant funds. The organizations set to accept the funds are: CASA of West Central Illinois, Genesis Garden, Giving Gardens of First Presbyterian Church of Macomb, McDonough County Habitat for Humanity, The Samaritan Well, Inc., St. George's Clothes Closet, United Way ROE Homelessness, Western Illinois Regional Council, Loaves & Fishes, Salvation Army, Good Food Collaborative, and First Christian Church.

The grants are an extension of Macomb's Basic Needs Non-Profit Grant Program and are backed by money from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). Each applicant was required to write its plan for the money and how it would spend it. After receiving the money, each applicant would have to provide the city with written and visual proof of the purchases and the impact.

“I would like to just briefly say what each of these organizations is going to do with the money," Bannon said. "WIRC would propose to use it for Hunters for the Hungry, to process meat for hunter donations for those who need the food. Samaritan Well would fill gaps for food, transportation, clothing, employment assistance, and others for their homeless population. The United Way ROE would assist homeless or transitional families with rental assistance and deposits to get them into permanent housing. The Clothes Closet would use it for a new storage building; they recently moved to Shepherds Gate as their new host venue. Giving Gardens would use it for community gardens for free, accessible food. Good Food Collaborative is collaborating with WRC and they would use it for food for their new pantry. The FCC First Christian Church would use it for its emergency food cupboard for food. Habitat for Humanity will use it for a furnace and new air conditioner for the house they're renovating at 336 West Jefferson. The families are already putting in sweat equity there. The Salvation Army would use it for food boxes, as well as their self-service food pantry for food costs. Loaves and Fishes would use it for food and rent vouchers, as well as Genesis Garden, which would use it for housing and food gap vouchers. CASA would use it for winter clothing for those children referred to them through the court system as it needs.”

The City Council ultimately approved the request.