Disaster Food Assistance For Storm-Impacted Families

Monmouth County to begin taking applications on Sept. 12

FREEHOLD, NJ – On Monday, Sept. 12, Monmouth County will open four locations where residents can apply for a Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) benefit if they experienced extensive material losses due to Hurricane Irene or subsequent flooding.

“Hurricane Irene and the flooding in her aftermath have negatively impacted many of our residents,” Freeholder Amy A. Mallet said. “The D-SNAP and supplemental benefits programs are ways to help families now so that they can recover from the devastating effects of the storm.”

D-SNAP is a one-time food assistance benefits that can be used only for the purchase of certain food items. Individual and families not currently receiving SNAP benefits and whose storm-related expenses include damages beyond the loss of food due to power outages may be eligible.

Monmouth County will process D-SNAP subsidy applications from Sept. 12 to Sept. 20 at temporary sites in Middletown and Asbury Park in addition to the county’s two Social Service Offices. The locations are:

- Monmouth County Division of Social Services, 3000 Kozloski Rd., Freehold
Monday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday and Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

- Monmouth County Division of Social Services, 2405 Rt. 66, Ocean Township
Monday, Thursday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday and Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

- Croydon Hall, 900 Leonardville Rd., Middletown
Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

- Asbury Park Municipal Building, Council Chambers, Bangs Avenue entrance, Asbury Park, Monday through Friday 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Residents are encouraged to apply at any one of the sites according to the first letter of their last name. The schedule is as follows:

Monday, Sept. 12 A –B
Tuesday, Sept. 13 C- F
Wednesday, Sept. 14 G- K
Thursday, Sept. 15 L- M
Friday, Sept. 16 N- R
Monday, Sept. 19 S- T
Tuesday, Sept. 20 U- Z

The application process will ease requirements around documents necessary to apply for D-SNAP and will weigh disaster-related expenses when considering eligibility. There is an income test that includes liquid financial resources such as checking and saving accounts. Benefits are electronically applied to a card similar to a debit/credit card for the purchase of certain food items.

Individuals and families currently not receiving SNAP benefits and whose storm-related expenses include damages beyond the loss of food due to power outages may be eligible.

The state Department of Human Services’ Division of Family Development, which administers SNAP through the counties, is coordinating these processes with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Services.

Residents also should be sure to register for FEMA assistance at www.recoveryassistance.gov and to check www.nj211.org for valuable disaster-related information. including how to: acquire clean-up kits; schedule home inspections, and; exercise renters rights.