As early as Friday, residents in 27 counties impacted by Hurricane Florence can apply for help buying food through the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or “D-SNAP”, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services received federal authority to implement the program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
This help will be available in 27 counties: Bladen, Beaufort, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Duplin, Harnett, Hoke, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lee, Lenoir, Moore, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Pitt, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland, Wayne, and Wilson.
“For North Carolinians working to get back on their feet after Hurricane Florence, help feeding their families will make a tremendous difference,” Gov. Cooper said. “I urge anyone who lives in hard-hit areas and needs this help to apply as soon as they can.”
“We want to do everything we can to help families recover from Hurricane Florence,” said DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D. “This program will help people who have suffered losses buy food for their families as they begin the long process of rebuilding their lives.”
Eligible households will receive a one-time benefit on a special debit card (called an EBT card) to help buy food. The amount will depend on household size, but a family of one would receive $192, a family of four would receive $640 and larger families would receive more.
To be eligible, a person must:
- Live in one of the disaster declared counties, current list above.
- Have suffered losses/damages related to Hurricane Florence, such as damage to property, loss of income or food loss.
- Have proof of identity and proof of residency (if available).
- Have income and resources below certain levels.
- Not currently be receiving help buying food through the Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) program. People receiving FNS can also get extra help buying food, but do not need to fill out a D-SNAP application. They can get more information about how to get the extra help here.
Residents of the 27 counties who want to apply must do so in person from Friday, Sept. 28, through Saturday, Oct. 6, with the exception of Sunday, Sept. 30, when all application sites will be closed. Most application sites will be the local department of social services office in each county. As application sites are finalized, DHHS will post information on locations and hours of the sites in each county on its website. People can also dial 2-1-1 for information on application sites in their county.