SWAMPSCOTT — The town is redirecting excess grant funding that previously aided small businesses to Anchor Food Pantry in an effort to continue meeting the needs of residents in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Town officials held a public hearing to garner community feedback on the plan, which gives the $25,000 remaining in a $120,000 grant to the food pantry. Director of Community Development Marzie Galazka said the town intended to continue offering funds to small businesses, but after providing funds to 10 businesses, no others in Swampscott were eligible for the money.
“We actually did outreach to the business community first to find out if there were any other businesses that were eligible for the grant funding and unfortunately, we did not have any additional applicants to the program for eligible businesses that would qualify for these funds,” Galazka said, noting that to be eligible, businesses must have fewer than five employees.
Galazka said the funds are “desperately needed” by the food pantry with the holiday season upcoming.
The block grant was aimed at helping businesses and other small, local organizations survive the economic downturn brought about by the pandemic, Galazka said.
“It was to really help businesses and organizations or entities that were impacted by COVID. So obviously, the individual businesses would have to document loss of income or the fact that they didn’t have any income but yet they retained some of their employees that they stayed off the table,” she said. “Obviously, entities such as a food pantry, you can imagine the great needs that they have witnessed during COVID time, and unfortunately, that appears to continue right now as well.”
Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald praised the work that Anchor Food Pantry has done during the pandemic and said their efforts went beyond those of a traditional food pantry.
“Anchor Food Pantry has really focused on those food insecurities and they’ve done some extraordinary work building networks,” he said in a brief telephone interview Monday afternoon. “They are able to provide a community and a network of support that does wrap around some additional care.”
Fitzgerald said the hearing Wednesday was an effort to engage the community in ensuring the grant funds went to areas that needed them.
“The hearing was just our effort to re-engage the community and really speak to and ensure these dollars can go to some of the [organizations] in Swampscott that have struggled the last few years through the pandemic,” he said. “We want to be as helpful as possible.”
Charlie McKenna can be reached at [email protected].
