Houlton Band of Maliseets awarded $900K to upgrade food distribution
Courtesy / Houlton Band of Maliseets Facebook
The Houlton Band of Maliseets has been awarded a $900,000 grant from the federal Department of Housing and Urband Development to upgrade its food pantry and distribution.
The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians has been awarded $900,000 through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Indian Community Development Block Grant program to retrofit and expand the tribe's food service center.
The grant was part of $20 million awarded to tribes across the U.S.as part of the Indian Community Development Block Grant Imminent Threat program, which provides funding to help address problems that jeopardize public health or safety of tribal residents, according to HUD. It was the fourth round of a total $100 million awarded to tribes across the country.
The Mailseets were the only Maine tribe to receive funding in the grant program, which was distributed last month.
The funding, made available through the federal CARES Act, is to help tribes prevent, prepare for, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. These awards represent the fourth round of $100 million of funding that will be provided to tribes under this program.
The grant will establish a food pantry to ensure the proper storage of perishable and nonperishable food items at the Maliseet community center, according to news release from the office of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. Members of the Maliseet administration couldn't be immediately reached for further details or comment this morning.
“Communities in Maine and throughout the country are continuing to combat this public health and economic crisis,” Collins said in the release. “This investment will help ensure that the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians can continue to safely provide affordable and nutritious food services on their lands during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Last month, the Houlton Band of Maliseets and the Aroostook Band of Micmacs were awarded a total of $1.8 million through the ICDBG program. It assists grant recipients with affordable housing, suitable living environments, and economic opportunities, primarily for low- and mode rate-income individuals, families and communities. The $900,000 the Maliseets received from that grant program is also going to rehabilitate the community center, officials said at the time.
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