DuPage County doles out $7.6 million in federal COVID-19 money

Townships, nonprofit organizations and small businesses in DuPage County will receive roughly $7.6 million in federal money to provide residents relief from the impacts of COVID-19.

DuPage County Board members this week voted to allocate the money, which the county received through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Recovery and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act.

The nine townships in DuPage will get $2.02 million to support local food pantries, to sanitize buildings and facilities, acquire personal protective equipment and technology and to assist townships to meet social distancing requirements within their facilities.

Forty local nonprofit organizations will get more than $1.5 million to purchase protective equipment, information technology supplies and to reimburse other COVID-19-related costs.

Meanwhile, $1 million has been allocated to 38 park districts to reimburse them for eligible coronavirus-related costs.

In addition, $825,268 has been set aside for residential and behavioral health providers that have expanded services due to pandemic conditions.

The county bvoard also approved $2.19 million for 155 small businesses and independent contractors through Reinvest DuPage. The COVID-19 grant relief program was developed in partnership with Choose DuPage. To date, the program has awarded 755 grants totaling $8.49 million.

"(DuPage Assistant State's Attorney) Conor McCarthy has been doing an unbelievable job in working these programs out - negotiating, drafting far, far more intergovernmental agreements than he had ever intended to do in his lifetime," board member Robert Larsen said during a finance meeting.