Virus Relief Grant to Help in Part With Broadband in N.C.

(TNS) — The Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments staff in North Carolina is using grant funds to address food insecurity, broadband inequality and the daily challenges senior adults face.

"Project-wise, we're always working on something," said Robert Hiett, the agency's executive director.

Here's an overview of some of the projects currently underway:

Of the $1.2 million in CARES Act funding for senior initiatives across the five-county region, Wilson County was allocated roughly $285,000. The Senior Community Service Employment Program provides laptops and virtual training for seniors 55 and older, including eight Wilson County residents, in hopes of helping them prepare for the workforce.

Aging Program Director Mary Marlin also is working to find a partner in the local food network to supply fresh food for area seniors between March and September. The effort would spend half of the $80,000 dedicated to nutrition services while the other half is being used to buy groceries and other supplies for food insecure seniors right now.

At the end of 2019, the staff set out to map access to healthful food throughout the region and identify opportunities for improvements thanks to a $200,000 grant from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust.

"When COVID-19 hit, the discussion around local food shifted to resiliency and sustainability of the community, especially as supply chains shut down and people couldn't get supplies," said Ron Townley, director of planning and development services.

The pandemic highlighted the disparity in broadband access, especially in rural North Carolina. Townley said a recent $20,000 grant from the Institute for Emerging Issues will help area leaders develop plans to improve connectivity.

"Whether the concern is about access to telehealth, digital literacy (or) school and homework access, these teams will write a digital access plan to address those most in need," Townley said.

The effort piggybacks on a $72,000 federal commerce grant designed to address economic development and connectivity in smaller towns in the region.

"Towns in rural America now understand they will not and cannot grow if they do not have high-speed connectivity," he said. "If all you can get is a cell signal for a hot spot to work or complete homework, your town is out of business."

About $400,000 of the CARES Act funding is dedicated to "respond, recover and build resiliency" through the region in the wake of the pandemic.

"Everything has changed," Townley said. "Like a hurricane, COVID-19 has challenged our systems, pointed out weaknesses and required a different way of thinking. Whether economic development, community development, workforce development or infrastructure, we're all asking what we need to do differently from now on to make our region more resilient."

(c)2020 The Wilson Daily Times (Wilson, N.C.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.