Starting Thursday, residents of Chatham, Durham and Guilford 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 recently received federal authority to implement the program in the three counties, bringing the total number of counties in North Carolina that have been approved for the program in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence to 34.
Residents of Chatham, Durham and Guilford counties who want to apply must do so in person from Thursday, Nov. 1 through Friday, Nov. 9, with the exception of Tuesday, Nov. 6, when the application sites will be closed. 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.
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 three disaster declared counties mentioned above.
- 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.
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.