By Thomas Goldsmith
In the North Carolina counties hit hardest by Hurricane Florence, people who already get help buying food will be given more, and those not on a state or federal food program can receive assistance going forward, federal and state officials said Thursday.
The announcement follows by a few days a visit to the state by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue, who arrived Monday to hear more about Florence’s devastation from Gov. Roy Cooper, Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler and Secretary of Environmental Quality Michael Regan. Torrential rains from the storm brought destruction and weeks of flooding to some counties that hadn’t completely recovered from Hurricane Matthew’s 2016 destructive visit.
Help is on the way for people who qualify for the federal Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP). Families will have a one-time deposit placed on a special debit card, with the amount based on the size of the household.
“We want to do everything we can to help families recover from Hurricane Florence,” state NC Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said in a statement. “This program will help people who have suffered losses buy food for their families as they begin the long process of rebuilding their lives.”
As an example, DHHS said, a family of one would receive $192, a family of four would get $640 and bigger families would get more.
The state Department of Health and Human Services listed the counties as 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.
[sponsor]“Our department is committed to providing the assistance needed to our neighbors, as they pull themselves to recovery,” Perdue said in a statement. “The D-SNAP program USDA is announcing today is an important step forward in bringing back normalcy to those impacted.”
Tailored by county
Some groups of counties are covered by special provisions. The help will come in several different forms.
For 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:
++ Everyone who already gets help from the federal Food and Nutrition Service, commonly known as “food stamps,” will automatically have 60 percent of their monthly deposit replaced on their electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card.
++ A number of households in the affected counties will get additional spending power on their EBT cards if they don’t already get the maximum amount based on the size of their households.
++ People or households who experienced loss of food that cost more than 60 percent of their benefit for September can apply for a larger replacement from their county Department of Social Services.
In Beaufort, Cumberland, Johnston, Lenoir, Pitt, Wayne and Wilson counties:
People on the FNS program who have experienced food loss can ask to have a portion of their benefits for September replaced. Households that experienced loss of food and receive less than the maximum benefit can apply for additional amounts from their county Department of Social Services. They’ll need to complete an affidavit available at county DSS offices.
To be eligible for the Disaster-Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program an applicant must:
- Live in a disaster-declared county.
- Apply in person between Friday, Sept. 28, and Oct. 6.
- Be prepared to wait at state-designated D-SNAP locations (below).
- Be a victim of damage from Florence in areas such as property damage, lost income or food supplies.
- If available, show proof of identity and residency.
- Have levels of income and worth below certain guidelines.
Source: North Carolina DHHS
County |
Physical Address |
Times of Operation |
Beaufort |
Beaufort County Department of Social Services, 632 West Fifth St., Washington, NC 27889 |
Mon. – Fri.: 8 a.m.-6 p.m.Sat.: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. |
Chocowinity Fire Department, 512 NC 33 Chocowinity, NC 27817 |
Fri., Sept. 28: 8 a.m.-6 p.m.Sat., Sept. 29: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. |
|
Aurora Community Center, Main St., Aurora NC 27806 |
Fri., Sept. 28: 8 a.m.-6 p.m.Sat., Sept. 29: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. |
|
White Plains Church, 718 Pine St., Belhaven, NC 27810 |
Fri., Sept. 28: 8 a.m.-6 p.m.Sat., Sept. 29: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. |
|
Bladen |
Bladen County DSS, 208 E McKay St., Elizabethtown, NC 28337 |
8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Mon. – Sat. |
NC Cooperative Extension, 450 Smith Circle, Elizabethtown, NC 28337 |
8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m, Mon. – Sat. |
|
Bladenboro Fire Department, 519 West Seaboard St., Bladenboro, NC 28320 |
8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m, Mon. – Sat. |
|
Centerville Baptist Church, 18577 NC Highway 53 East, Kelly, NC 28448 |
8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m, Mon. – Sat. |
|
Tar Heel Town Hall (Old Fire Dept.), 14865 Hwy 87 West, Tar Heel, NC 28392 |
8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m, Mon. – Sat. |
|
Brunswick |
Odell Williamson Auditorium/Brunswick Community College Main Campus, 50 College Road NE, Bolivia, NC 28422 |
Mon. – Fri. 8:30am-5pmSat. 9am-5pm |
Carteret |
Carteret County DSS, 210 Craven Street, Beaufort, NC 28516 |
8 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon. – Sat. |
Newport Baptist Church, 312 Chatham St., Newport, NC 28570 |
Mon.-Fri.: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. |
|
Western Park Community Center, 275 Old NC-58, Cedar Point, NC 28584 |
Mon.-Fri.: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. |
|
Atlantic Fire Department, 967 Seashore Drive, Atlantic, NC 28511 |
Mon.-Fri.: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. |
|
South River Fire Department, 1329 S. River Road, Beaufort, NC 28516 |
Mon.-Fri.: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. |
|
Columbus |
Columbus County DSS, 40 Government Complex Road, Whiteville, NC 28472 |
Mon.-Fri.: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. |
Craven |
Craven County Department of Social Services, 2818 Neuse Blvd.New Bern, NC 28562 |
8 a.m.-5p.m., Mon. – Sat. |
Cumberland |
Cumberland County Department of Social Services, 1225 Ramsey St., Fayetteville NC 28301 |
7:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon. – Sat. |
St Luke AME Church, 522 Hillsboro St., Fayetteville, NC 28301 |
Mon.-Fri.: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. |
|
Duplin |
Duplin County Events Center, 195 Fairgrounds Drive, Kenansville, NC 28349 |
Mon.-Fri.: 8a.m.-6 p.m.Sat.: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. |
Duplin County Department of Social Services (Basement Community Room), 423 N. Main St., Kenansville, NC 28349 |
Fri., Oct. 5: 8 a.m.-6 p.m.Sat., Oct. 6: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. |
|
Harnett |
First Choice Health Center, 40 Autumn Fern Trail, Lillington, NC 27546 |
8 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon. – Sat. |
Hoke |
Cape Fear Conference B Headquarters, 10225 Fayetteville Road, Raeford, NC 28376 |
7 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Mon. – Sat. |
Hyde |
Hyde County Department of Social Services, 35015 Hwy 264, Engelhard, NC 27824 |
8 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon. – Sat. |
Ocracoke Community Center, 999 Irvin Garrish Hwy, Ocracoke, NC 27960 |
Oct. 2: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.Oct. 3: 8 a.m.-11:30 p.m. |
|
O. A. Peay School, 1430 Main Street, Swan Quarter, NC 27885 |
8 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon. – Sat. |
|
Johnston |
Johnston County DSS, 714 North St., Smithfield, NC 27577 |
Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.Sat. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. |
Jones |
Lenoir Community College – Jones County Site, 509 NC Hwy 58 North, Trenton, NC 28585 |
8 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon. – Sat. |
Lee |
Lee County Department of Social Services, 530 Carthage St., Sanford, NC 27330 |
8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Mon. – Sat. |
Lenoir |
Vernon Park Mall (Old Eckerd Drug Store), 534 Hardee Road, Kinston, NC 28504 |
Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.Sat 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. |
La Grange Community Center, 410 E. Washington St., La Grange, NC 28551 |
Mon.-Fri.: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. |
|
Pink Hill Town Hall, 303 South Central Ave., Pink Hill, NC 28572 |
Mon.-Fri.: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. |
|
Moore |
Moore County DSS, 1036 Carriage Oaks Drive, Carthage, NC 28327 |
Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.Sat. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. |
New Hanover |
3500 Oleander Drive, Wilmington, NC 28403 (Previous Sears Location at Independence Mall entrance) |
Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.Wed. 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.Sat. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. |
Onslow |
Consolidated Human Services, 612 College St., Jacksonville, NC 28540 |
7 a.m. – 5 p.m., Mon. – Sat. |
Pamlico |
Pamlico County Human Services Center, 828 Alliance Main St., Bayboro, NC 28515 |
8 a.m.- 5 p.m., Mon. – Sat. |
Pender |
Agricultural Building, 810 South Walker St., Burgaw, NC 28425 |
8 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon. – Sat. |
Pitt |
Salem United Methodist Church, 785 McDonald Street, Simpson, NC 27879 |
8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Mon. – Sat. |
Phillippi Church, 3760 Phillippi Dr, Greenville, NC, 27834 |
8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Mon. – Sat. |
|
Peace Presbyterian Church 301 Guiness Dr., Winterville, NC, 28590 |
8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Mon. – Sat. |
|
Richmond |
Richmond County Health and Human Services, Complex125, Caroline Street, Rockingham NC 28379 |
Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.Sat. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. |
Robeson |
Robeson County Department of Social Services, 120 Glen Cowan Road, Lumberton, NC 28360 |
Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m.-5 p.m.Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. |
Sampson |
Sampson County Department of Social Services,, 360 County Complex Road Suite 100, Clinton NC 28328 |
8 a.m.-6 p.m., Mon. – Sat. |
Scotland |
Scotland County Department of Social Services,, 1405 West Boulevard, Laurinburg, NC 28352 |
7 a.m. – 6 p.m., Mon. – Sat. |
Wayne |
Bussmann Building, 210 Dixie Trail, Goldsboro NC 27530 |
8 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon. – Sat. |
Wilson |
The Wilson Daily Times Bldg., 2001 Downing Street Wilson, NC 27893 |
Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m.-5 p.m.Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. |
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I live in Anson County Nc every county was cleared disaster area Anson County got hit just as bad as everybody else I have lost all my food went to welfare they gave me $14 in food stamps it might pay for a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread but it doesn’t help me to put food back in my house that I lost from the storm Florence something needs to be done Anson County is a very poor County so I don’t know how they think people can just go out and buy food after they lost it and getting no help Mr. Goldsmith you need to do something about this