People in the Food and Nutrition Services Program Impacted by Florence May Be Eligible for Extra Help Buying Food in 27 Counties

Today, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced that people currently receiving help buying food through the Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) program may be eligible for extra help in 27 counties heavily impacted by Hurricane Florence. Those counties are 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. 
 
This follows an announcement yesterday that people in these same 27 counties who do not currently participate in the FNS program may also receive help buying food through a program known as D-SNAP.
 
People in Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Duplin, Harnett, Hoke, Hyde, Jones, Lee, Moore, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson and Scotland counties: 
If someone in the FNS program lives in one of these counties, they do not need to take any action to receive this extra help. Everyone in the FNS program will get 60 percent of their September benefit automatically replaced on their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card. In addition, many households in these counties will also automatically receive an extra amount on their EBT card if they currently receive less than the maximum amount for their household size.
 
If a person in these counties suffered a food loss greater than 60 percent of their September benefit, they may go to their DSS office and see if they are eligible for a larger replacement amount.
 
People in Beaufort, Cumberland, Johnston, Lenoir, Pitt, Wayne and Wilson counties:
If someone in the FNS program lives in one of these counties and they had food loss, they may request a replacement for a portion of their September benefits. In addition, many households currently receive less than the maximum amount of help for their household size. In these counties, such households can also see if they are eligible for an extra amount to help purchase food this month by going to their county DSS office.