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Disaster Food Assistance For Storm-Impacted Families
To assist county residents impacted by Hurricane Irene, food assistance through the disaster-related Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (D-SNAP) is now available.
This one-time food benefit will be available Sept. 12 through Sept. 19 to eligible Mercer County residents who experienced extreme material losses during the recent hurricane and/or subsequent flooding.
LOCATIONS TO APPLY
- Mercer County Connection, Route 33 at Paxson Avenue (Acme Shopping Center) in Hamilton from September 12 through September 14;
- Lawrence Library, Darrah Lane at Route 1, in Lawrence on September 15;
- Ewing Library, Scotch Road, in Ewing Township on September 16;
Community Action Service Center DBA Rise in Hightstown on September 19 and 20.
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. Those in disaster-declared areas and already enrolled with SNAP will automatically receive a one-time supplemental benefit based upon a federal determination of areas that lost power for more than four consecutive hours. They do not need to call or visit the Mercer County Board of Social Services.
The D-SNAP application process eases requirements around documents necessary to apply and weighs disaster-related costs with available liquid resources when considering eligibility. Benefits are electronically applied to a card similar to a debit/credit card for the purchase of certain food items.
In addition to D-SNAP, county residents also are encouraged to register for FEMA assistance at www.recoveryasssitance.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. The NJ Department of Health and Senior Services also has a call center for public health concerns related to flooding at 1-866-234-0964. Its hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Seeking Assistance with Hurricane Damage!
- Mercer County residents can register with FEMA for relief by calling (800) 621-3362 or
- visiting www.disasterassistance.gov . Please use disaster reference number DR-4021.
- Disaster assistance applicants who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.
- Residents may also call 2-1-1 and register for cleanup assistance through volunteer agencies. Mercer County businesses may contact the Small Business Administration at www.sba.gov or call (800) 659-2955 and refer to SBA Declaration #12780.
- check www.nj211.org for valuable disaster-related information, including how to acquire clean-up kits, schedule home inspections and exercise renters’ rights.
- The NJ Department of Health and Senior Services also has a call center for public health concerns related to flooding at 1-866-234-0964. Its hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Certain non-profit agencies are eligible for relief as well and should submit the "Request For Public Assistance" form available here. The form must be completed and submitted to Mercer County OEM at 350 Lawrence Station Road, Lawrence, NJ, 08648, to be eligible for follow-up visits and potential reimbursement. For more information, contact Dean Raymond, Mercer County Office of Emergency Management at (609) 799-8868.
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For More Information
Please Contact: Tarry Truitt, Communications and Project Manager, ttruitt@merceralliance.org or 609-844-1008.
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