Rocky Mount QVC employees say $4 million in grant money doesn't target their biggest needs

State leaders say a $4 million grant from the federal government will help hundreds of QVC employees find work after their factory burned down in December.

Posted 10:08 p.m. Mar 15, 2022 — Updated 10:22 p.m. Mar 15, 2022

Keenan Willard

, WRAL Eastern North Carolina reporter

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — State leaders say a $4 million grant from the federal government will help hundreds of QVC employees find work after their factory burned down in December. But some workers said they feel the money isn’t going where people in Rocky Mount need it most.

The Rocky Mount QVC distribution facility burned down on Dec. 18 — killing 21-year-old Kevon Ricks and leaving 1,953 workers jobless.

Announcing the grant this week, Gov. Roy Cooper’s office said the money will go to career services, on the job and classroom training for new positions, as well as support services to help former employees return to the workforce.

But not everyone saw the need.

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Multiple QVC employees, who asked not to be identified by WRAL News, said the career services in the grant were already being provided to them by the company.

With their salaries ending in February, the employees said they felt the money could have been better spent on more relief funds to help them pay bills and cover immediate expenses.

WRAL News took those concerns to the local entity in charge of the funds, the Turning Point Workforce Development Board, which defended the use for the grant money.

“That funding could actually go toward if they are interested in some training or a degree or things like that,” said TPWDB Business Services Manager Carisa Rudd.

But other leaders of the emergency response had a different reaction.

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“If I were in their predicament, in their shoes, I know I would feel the same way,” said Rocky Mount Chamber of Commerce president David Farris.

Farris said teaching workers to enter new positions would be a long-term fix for the economy, but many of them needed help right away.

He said the relief fund managed by the United Way of the Tar River Region had already raised more than $300,000 in direct aid for workers but it was nowhere near enough.

“I would absolutely support several million dollars coming down from Washington or east from Raleigh to help them,” Farris said. “We want to put the band-aid on that can help those families keep their nose above water, pay their bill, pay their rent, pay their mortgage, and put food on the table.”

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