Starting Monday, residents of Anson, Orange and Union counties impacted by Hurricane Florence will be able to apply for help buying food through the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or “D-SNAP.”
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services received federal authority to implement the program in Anson, Orange and Union counties, which have been added to the list of counties approved for D-SNAP from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In total, 31 North Carolina counties have been approved for D-SNAP in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.
Residents of these counties who want to apply must do so in person from Monday, Oct. 22 through Tuesday, Oct. 30, with the exception of Sunday, Oct. 28, when all application sites will be closed. Most application sites will be the local department of social services office in each county. Application site locations and hours of the sites in each county are posted on the DHHS website. People can also dial 2-1-1 for information on application sites in their county.
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.
- Have suffered losses/damages related to Hurricane Florence, such as damage to property, loss of income or food loss, between the dates of Sept. 7 and Oct. 6.
- Have proof of identity.
- Have 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.
People who may have a disability or are physically unable to go in person to apply for help can complete this form and send an authorized representative in their place.
Wait times should be anticipated at application sites due to the volume of people expected to apply. County officials will do everything they can to process applications as quickly as possible.