County Commissioners: Food Bank Never Applied For COVID Funding

MONMOUTH COUNTY - In response to a letter from a local food bank pleading for county pandemic relief funding in 2021 after receiving no stimulus last year, Monmouth County Commissioners recently issued a statement revealing why Fulfill never received funding: the food bank reportedly never applied.

According to a joint statement email from Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone and Commissioner Deputy Director Susan M. Kiley, the Ocean- and Monmouth County-based food bank never formally applied for assistance.

“After thorough review, we found that Fulfill did not submit an application for the first round of CARES Act grant funding,” the commissioners wrote. “Not only was there no application, there was no letter or formal request for grant funding ever sent to the Board of County Commissioners for review … Commissioner Director Arnone has personally spoken to the Chair of the Fulfill Board of Trustees and informed her that an application was never filed by Fulfill. We did have other food banks in Monmouth County apply and they were all granted funding.”

The Wednesday email statement was sent in response to a March 17 letter from Fulfill’s CEO Kim Guadagno, who argued that, although the food bank has seen a 40 percent increase in demand and 250 cost spike since the pandemic began, Monmouth County denied the service any pandemic-related assistance from its allocated $108 million in CARES Act funding, while Ocean County gave Fulfill $355,258 in aid. Read more: Monmouth Co. Food Bank Pleads For County Funding In 2021

The commissioners also noted that Guadagno’s letter did not reach the county offices until March 22, days after initial media reports revealed the contents of the letter.

“The first time the Board was made aware of the letter was through an email from the media,” the commissioners wrote.

“With that said, the Board of County Commissioners welcomes the opportunity to work with Fulfill to evaluate the great work they are doing for our underserved, their financial situation and how we can make both better.”

In her letter, Guadagno requested a grant of $725,000 from the county’s recent American Rescue Plan allotment to "allow us to continue to meet the needs of our hungry neighbors … into the future."

"Eighty-seven percent donor funded, Fulfill depends upon the generosity of individuals, corporations, foundations, and government," Guadagno wrote. "Without this collective support, we could not meet the spike in demand and help ensure that no one goes to bed hungry."

Since the pandemic began, Fulfill has provided 3.3 million more meals to the food insecure in Monmouth County at a cost of $4.7 million. You can donate to Fulfill here.