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AUTHORIZING SUBAWARD AGREEMENT WITH NORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOD BANK FOR PARTNERSHIP AND UTILIZATION OF COMPOSTING AND FOOD WASTE REDUCTION FUNDS
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WHEREAS, the Composting and Food Waste Reduction cooperative agreement pilot program (CFWR) was authorized by Section 222 of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994, as added by Section 12302 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, 7 U.S.C. 6923; and
WHEREAS, on March 22, 2021, the President of the United States signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act which included funding to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the CFWR in FY24; and
WHEREAS, the County worked with partners to develop and submit a successful proposal in response to the USDA-issued Notice of Funding Opportunity for CFWR FY24 in the interest of advancing waste diversion goals stated in its approved Solid Waste Management Plan (Res 20-463) and Climate Action Implementation Plan (Res 24-228); and
WHEREAS, the County Board approved a FY25 budget amendment and authorized signature of a Cooperative Agreement between the County and USDA to accept the CFWR funds on January 14, 2025 (Res 25-002); and
WHEREAS, the County Board Chairman did sign and authorize such a Cooperative Agreement on March 27, 2025; and
WHEREAS, Northern Illinois Food Bank (NIFB), a non-profit hunger relief organization located in Geneva that works with regional partners to distribute 250,000 meals a day throughout its network, receives and disposes of roughly 1.6 million pounds a year in spoiled or otherwise non-distributable food; and
WHEREAS, due to financial and logistical limitations, this non-distributable food has typically been disposed of in landfills; and
WHEREAS, recognizing these challenges and the potential to divert large quantities of food waste, NIFB joined the County as a partner on its successful CFWR proposal, requesting $211,200 (Two...
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