Explanation
This ordinance authorizes Columbus City Council to enter into a grant agreement with the Family Mentor Foundation in support of the organization’s Buddy Boxes program.
Family Mentor Foundation’s target audience is Franklin County preschool-, elementary-, and middle school-age children who experience food insecurity. In the 2018-2019 program year, Family Mentor Foundation has provided 32,220 Buddy Boxes to over 895 students. The program reaches students in 18 schools within 3 Franklin County school districts.
The goal of our Buddy Box program is to bridge the food insecurity gap that food insecure elementary school children face on weekends when breakfast and lunch are not provided by their schools. Buddy Boxes serve food insecure children in the greater Columbus area, helping to meet the basic needs of children by ensuring they have nutritious food available on weekends. The organization also partners with the Columbus Recreation & Parks Department's Go, Lunch! program to provide Buddy Boxes to approximately 700 children annually during the summer.
With this funding, in the 2019-2020 program year Family Mentor Foundation anticipates adding 3-5 new schools, serving an additional 150 Columbus children. In addition, this funding will allow Family Mentor Foundation to reduce the unit cost of creating boxes from $160 per child per year to $100 per child, a reduction of nearly 38%.
Fiscal Impact: Funding is available within the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund.
Emergency action is requested in order to provide Family Mentor Foundation with the resources necessary to increase program capacity in time for the July 1 start of the program year.
Title
To authorize Columbus City Council to enter into a grant agreement with the Family Mentor Foundation in support of the organization’s Buddy Boxes program; to authorize an appropriation and expenditure within the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund; and to declare an emergency. ($30,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, in Franklin County, 38% of children face food insecurity on a daily basis; and
WHEREAS, Family Mentor Foundation’s Buddy Box program bridges the food insecurity gap that food insecure school children face on weekends when breakfast and lunch are not provided by their schools; and
WHEREAS, with this grant, Family Mentor Foundation will be able to significantly reduce operating costs and increase capacity for children served; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily business of the City Council in that it is immediately necessary to authorize a grant agreement with Family Mentor Foundation in order to increase capacity for the upcoming program year; now, therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That Columbus City Council is hereby authorized to enter into a grant agreement with the Family Mentor Foundation in support of the organization’s Buddy Boxes program.
SECTION 2. That the City Auditor is hereby authorized and directed to appropriate $30,000.00 in the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund, fund 1000, subfund 100018, to Columbus City Council per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3. That the expenditure of $30,000.00 or so much thereof as may be needed pursuant to the actions authorized in SECTION 1, is hereby authorized in the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund, fund 1000, subfund 100018 per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 4. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.