BOSTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending nearly $4.5 million to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reimburse it for the cost of providing testing for daycare facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $4,480,000 Public Assistance grant will reimburse the Massachusetts Department of Early Childhood Education and Care for contracting to provide testing services for early education and care (EEC) affiliated providers, staff, children, and families between March 2021 and June 2022.
The contractor operated mobile specimen collection sites, provided all equipment necessary for site operations, confirmed eligibility for testing, and handled collection and transport of all specimens.
"FEMA is pleased to be able to assist the Massachusetts Department of Early Childhood Education and Care with these costs," said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. "Providing resources for our partners on the front lines of the pandemic fight is critical to their success, and to our success as a nation."
FEMA's Public Assistance program is a source of funding for states and communities recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency.
So far, FEMA has provided more than $1.5 billion in Public Assistance grants to Massachusetts to reimburse the commonwealth for pandemic-related expenses.
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Companion Corner: Fox at Berkshire Humane Society
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a sweet and energetic dog at the Berkshire Humane Society waiting for his new family.
iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.
Fox is a 3-year-old Pomeranian who has been at the shelter for about a month.
Canine caregiver and adoption counselor Simone Olivieri told us about Fox.
"He's a bundle of joy. He would love a family who's home with him a lot, because he's just, he's very social and wants to be with his people a lot. And he would be fun to bring out and about, bring a lot of places, because he's very happy to go anywhere," she said.
When Fox enters the room he is immediately a puffball of energy that goes around and around the room.
He came to the shelter after his former owner could not take care of him anymore.
"The owner was just not able to care for him anymore. Had he came in with another dog, Wolf, and she already did find her forever home just last week," said Olivieri. "The two of them were left with a friend of the original owner, and the owner did not come back to pick them up, and the friend had too many animals in the house, and too much going on, and she just couldn't continue to look after them, so they did end up coming to us."
Fox can go home with cats and children but is not recommended to go home with other dogs as he gets too excited.
"He would love a home where people are home quite a bit to give him all the attention that he so desires. He loves kids. He absolutely adores children. So he would like a home with kids to play with. He could live with cats. We are saying that he should not live with other dogs. The only reason is that he gets very humpy, and he does not leave the other dogs alone," she said.
With his energy it is recommended he goes to a home that can keep him active whether walks or hikes and even fetch in the yard.
Fox does need to learn more about walking on a leash and has a tendency to mark in the house but he was recently neutered. Olivieri said belly bands will be sent home with whoever adopts him to help prevent marking and managing it.
"He would like an active home. He really does like to go for walks daily. He likes to run around in the yard. He does need a little work on leash walking. He sometimes gets a little tangled still under your feet, and he's learning how to walk on a leash," she said. "So, someone who's got some patience and some time to work on some training with him."
"He also is not fully potty trained, so he does know to go potty outside. However, he will still mark, urinate in the house sometimes, and he might poop here and there in the house."
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