Committee forwards $2.03 million United Way contract for emergency food assistance
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Summary
The committee moved a contract with United Way of Greater Cleveland not to exceed $2,034,158 to the full council. Hunger Network and the Greater Cleveland Food Bank described continued elevated demand, a FEMA funding gap and plans to seek grants and donations to cover an estimated $110,000 shortfall.
The Healthy Human Services and Aging Committee voted Dec. 3 to advance a county contract with United Way of Greater Cleveland authorizing up to $2,034,158 for fiscal-agent services and emergency food purchases from Jan. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2027.
Marcos Cortez of the Department of Health and Human Services said United Way will serve as fiscal agent to distribute and oversee county funds to affiliated hunger centers, purchase food and hygiene supplies through the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, and perform monitoring and reporting.
Julie Johnson of the Hunger Network described service demand following the temporary SNAP hold and government shutdown: customer visits remain elevated despite a slight taper after benefits were reinstated. She corrected an earlier count, saying the network now includes 51 hunger centers (and 19 hot-meal sites), and said the network absorbed the loss of FEMA reimbursement funding that previously supported some sites.
"We had about a $110,000 gap from what we'd received in the previous fiscal year," Johnson said, adding that county council provided $80,000 in bridge funding that will run out in March 2026. "We are... seeking additional grant funding sources and working with our donors," she said, "and trying to get more publicity and more information about the need."
Vontrece Jones of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank told the committee the Food Bank saw a sharp increase in demand year over year and distributed a record 6,400,000 pounds of food in November 2025. "We've also seen nearly a 40% increase in the number of new households that had to access these services," Jones said.
Committee members asked about allocation methodology. Hunger Network staff described a matrix that factors service numbers and external resources; allocations are made monthly to hunger centers, which may exceed allocations and seek reimbursement or arrange payment plans.
Chair Conwell moved the resolution to the full council under second-reading suspension; the committee approved by voice vote.