Cobb County Senior Services will receive $477,399 from the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC). The ARC is distributing money provided through the CARES Act to help provide relief for seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The money to Cobb Senior Services is part of $3.4 million in federal pandemic relief funds the ARC disbursed to “expand the number of older individuals across metro Atlanta receiving a range of critical services during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“The generosity of Congress during this time means a great deal to our work,” said Becky Kurtz, managing director of ARC’s Aging & Independence Services. “CARES Act funding, combined with funding from the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, passed earlier this year, represent a significant increase in the ability of ARC and our partners to provide services to older persons in our region.  This population is disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, so the resources have been badly needed.”

The funding is part of the CARES Act passed by Congress.

According to a press release from the ARC:

The funding will enable ARC to expand the number of people receiving services through its partners in several key areas:

• Social services and wellness support, including a new service providing emergency aid for materials such as groceries, personal care items, and technological tools that help people to perform daily activities
• Nutrition services such as home-delivered meals and food boxes

The CARES Act and the ARC’s Role

The ARC press release describes the funding from the CARES Act as follows:

The funding comes from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed by Congress to protect Americans from COVID-19’s public health and economic impacts. As the federally designated Area Agency on Aging, ARC receives federal funding and partners within Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, and Rockdale counties.

List of recipients

The following organizations received the ARC’s CARES Act funding: