Two local programs will split an $11,040 grant received by Winneshiek County Development

Winneshiek County Development has secured an $11,040 grant for local programs helping people during the COVID-19 epidemic.

$7,040 from the grant will go to Northeast Iowa Community Action to implement a new food delivery program to rural residents. The program will help community members, especially elderly, at-risk, rural community members who used to come to town to eat meals at senior centers in Decorah and Calmar.  Deliveries will be handled by EARL drivers and EARL vehicles to deliver food to those who need it in Winneshiek County.

The other $4,000 will go to the Decorah and Winneshiek County Mutual Aid Network. The money will go toward continuing to pay a part-time administrator for a few more months; toward expanding volunteer coordination; and toward social media management.

Said WCDT Executive Director Stephanie Fromm, "We wanted to maximize the structures, resources and programs our agencies and organizations already had while filling in the gaps that no one could have imagined would occur during a pandemic."