Melfa, Cheriton Surprise Residents With Care Packages

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By Carol Vaughn —

Melfa residents are expressing their gratitude after receiving a care package from the small town last week.
The packages included disposable face masks for adults and children, hand sanitizer, and a $100 Food Lion gift card.
Residents thanked the town in numerous social media posts.
Melfa resident Brianna Parkes in a letter to the editor said, “With this pandemic everyone is struggling and with your donation, I feel so heart warmed that the donation that every single one of you did for our town.”
“We are glad to help out. Please stay safe and healthy,” a Jan. 10 post on the Town of Melfa Facebook page said.
The town received $66,863 in all in two allocations of federal CARES Act money from Accomack County, according to Accomack County Administrator Mike Mason.
Each town in the county was allocated funds based on its population.
Some of the money allocated to Melfa went to pay for the care packages.
The federal government originally set a Dec. 31, 2020, deadline to spend the funds, but the deadline recently was extended by a year.
The care package went to around 200 households in town, according to Mayor Charles Wilbur.
“The stipulations were…that it had be things that were above and beyond what was already planned into the budget for the year,” he said.
“The Melfa town council and I appreciate the trust that the citizens placed in us and are pleased to hear that people were happy with the items they received to help deal with the fallout from Covid-19. We worked to ensure that the CARES Act funds allocated to the town were spent compliantly and efficiently,” Wilbur said, adding, “I would like to give particular thanks to Melfa town secretary Teresa Rudiger for her work in purchasing all of the  supplies and assembling the packages, and council members Gregory Spady and Jimmy Wilson for helping Teresa to distribute them. Thanks as well go to Accomack County for providing us guidance in compliantly spending the funds.”
The town also is discussing how to potentially help businesses under the federal guidelines.
Cheriton Mayor Jackie Davis in a letter to Cheriton residents announced a similar care package distribution to all households within the town limits would take place Jan. 16.

 

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