KINGSTON – Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan announced Thursday that the county’s Office for the Aging will be allocating $170,000, a portion of the stimulus funds, to provide temporary food services to Ulster County senior citizens due to COVID-19.
The New York State Office for the Aging has notified Ulster County that it is allocating federal stimulus funding provided through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES).
“As County Executive, I am committed to ensuring that our seniors have all of the resources that they need during this critical time,” County Executive Ryan said. “This funding will allow us to feed our seniors who have been negatively impacted by COVID-19. With the help of the Office for the Aging, we will continue to tirelessly advocate for and serve Ulster County seniors.”
“The Ulster County Office for Aging was fortunate to receive a generous grant from the NYS Office for Aging to assist with our feeding efforts for our seniors in Ulster County who were safely staying at home during the early months of the pandemic,” Susan Koppenhaver, Director of Office for the Aging said. “Along with our food purveyor, Gateway Hudson Valley, we were able to accept over 290 households who need temporary assistance with prepared foods, and we were also able to utilize existing staff and volunteers to deliver meals to senior households.”
Under the New York State’s Major Disaster Declaration made in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the stimulus funding can be used to assist Ulster County senior citizens who were not able to leave their residences to obtain the nutritional meals, food, and supplies they need. The stimulus funds may be used from March 20, 2020, through September 20, 2021.
