Story County will receive more than $18,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The money is to be used by various charities and organizations as part of the Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program, said Rich Lampkin, member of the FEMA board.

Lampkin said the board will decide how and where the money will be distributed, and organizations need to apply to the board for money.

“The group must show documentation of where the money will be spent,” he said.

Lampkin said the organizations can use the money to assist with rent, help purchase food and pay for heating bills.

Organizations that often request money from the board include the Emergency Residence Program and St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, Lampkin said.

St. Thomas Aquinas, 2210 Lincoln Way, has been receiving money from FEMA for about eight or nine years, said John Donaghy, coordinator of charity programs for the church.

Donaghy said St. Thomas Aquinas receives about $3,000 to $4,000 each year.

“The money goes to supplement the church’s program to help local people in need with rent and utility payments,” Donaghy said.

He said the money goes to help about 20 families.

“It’s just a fraction of the total amount of money that goes to the program,” Donaghy said.

He said the church also uses a percentage of the collection taken at mass to help families in this regard.

Donaghy said Story County has been receiving this money for seven years.

“Some years, the amount of money goes up a little bit or down a little bit, around 1 or 2 percent,” Lampkin said.