ONLEY, Va. (WAVY) – The Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore has received nearly $450,000 that it will use to pay for mobile food distribution in the region.
The Foodbank notes that it is an area suffering from significantly high levels of food insecurity, with the food insecurity rate among children in Accomack County at 22.5% and it is 22.9% in Northampton County.
Rep. Elaine Luria was at the Onley Town Center Monday to deliver the check to the Foodbank, and deliver five other community project funding awards for Accomack and Northampton county projects, which will be used to expand broadband services, improve sewer infrastructure, support domestic violence survivors and Eastern Shore dredging.
Community project funding allows members of Congress to request direct funding for projects that benefit the communities they represent.
Luria chose 15 projects out of more than 60 that were submitted to support, with six projects chosen on the Eastern Shore.
The projects and funding amounts:
- Eastern Shore mobile food distribution project – $447,600
- Exmore sewage collection system – $750,000
- Little Machipongo River dredging – $1,945,000
- Wachapreague sewer line and pump station – $750,000
- Mt. Nebo and Bailey Neck broadband expansion – $196,269
This represented the second round of community project funding awards. Last year, Luria secured more than $18.5 million for seven projects throughout coastal Virginia, according to Luria representative Clara Vaughn, including three on the Eastern Shore and the largest project funding award in the United States of $8.245 million for Accomack and Northampton counties’ regional public safety radio communications system.
