USDA Announces SNAP Replacements, Child and Adult Care Meal Flexibility in Certain Hurricane-Impacted Carolina Counties

WASHINGTON, DC, October 3, 2018 – Households impacted by Hurricane Florence in South Carolina could be eligible for mass replacement of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced. This is one of many recent steps USDA has taken to ensure North and South Carolinians in need have food to eat.

“No one should go hungry in wake of a disaster,” said Acting Deputy Under Secretary Brandon Lipps, who oversees USDA’s Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services. “The SNAP mass replacements USDA is announcing today will help affected residents get back on their feet and put food on the table,” Lipps said.

Rather than require SNAP households to report food losses individually, USDA granted the state of South Carolina the ability to approve automatic mass replacements for residents of certain counties and zip codes who lost food as a result of the hurricane.

SNAP participants in areas hardest hit by the disaster may have a portion of their August and September benefits replaced. SNAP recipients residing in other affected areas may request replacement benefits by filing an affidavit with the local office attesting to hurricane-related loss.

Additionally, USDA has approved North Carolina’s request to provide flexibility to Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) facilities affected by Hurricane Florence. USDA is waiving meal pattern requirements for meals served to clients by these facilities in 28 North Carolina counties. The approval is effective from September 14 to October 31, 2018.

Today’s announcements are the latest in a series of USDA actions taken to help North and South Carolina residents cope with the storm and its aftermath, including approval of a Disaster-SNAP, or D-SNAP, in North Carolina counties impacted by Hurricane Florence and flexibilities in the deadlines for SNAP households in both states to report food losses.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) works to reduce food insecurity and promote nutritious diets among the American people. The agency administers 15 nutrition assistance programs that leverage American’s agricultural abundance to ensure children and low-income individuals and families have nutritious food to eat. FNS also co-develops the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which provide science-based nutrition recommendations and serve as the cornerstone of federal nutrition policy.

##

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).