A new grant will allow more low-income residents of Vinton County to become better connected with the information age.
Vinton County will receive state funding from the Ohio Department of Development to assist ReUse Industries, a non-profit organization, with an economic development expansion project.
ReUse Industries, 74815 U.S. Highway 50, is an electronic recycling company that seeks donations of old or obsolete computers from businesses. The company restores the old computers, or recycles the metal, glass, and plastic from them. Then ReUse offers the computers to low-income families for free or at a reduced cost.
The funds, worth $92,000, will be issued through the Discretionary Grant Program. This program funds projects that do not fit the criteria of any other existing state programs, said Mike Hogan, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Development.
The money will be part of a grant/loan package worth $197,825 that will help ReUse Industries purchase new machinery and update their facility. The $105,825 that will be used in addition to the grant will be loaned to ReUse Industries at zero percent interest, said Terri Fetherolf, economic development loan administrator for Vinton County.
ReUse will use the grant/loan to purchase trucks for the pickup and delivery of the computers and to finish the loft in the company's barn. Also 14 low- to moderate-income people will receive job training in computer sales, repairs and material handling.
Coleen Krubl, executive director of ReUse Industries, said the donation program has been successful. She estimated the company has donated computers to about 200 people this year.
The funds will allow the company to accept more donations. Officials had been turning away two donated computers for every one they could accept - ReUse did not have the storage capability.
In order to qualify for the grant program, projects must meet a number of criteria. Funds must not be available from other sources and must be needed to make the project feasible, Hogan said.
The project must also meet at least one of the national objectives of the Community Development Block Grant. The national objectives state that the project must help low- to moderate-income people, remove slum and blight in the community, or it must be an urgent need.
(ReUse) definitely have a history of helping people in the county
Fetherolf said. ReUse will be celebrating its 10th year anniversary in the coming months. 17
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