Osceola County residents affected by Hurricane Ian can complete their application for D-SNAP benefits in-person starting Thursday at Heritage Park.
✨Attention Osceola Residents: If you pre-registered for D-SNAP but DIDN’T complete a phone interview, the on-site interview location in your county will be open Thursday, November 3 through Friday, November 4 & Sunday, November 6.
— Florida Department of Children and Families (@MyFLFamilies) November 1, 2022
Anyone interested in visiting the site must have already pre-registered for the program, but should not have completed a phone interview.
Instead, they can complete that final step of the process, an in-person interview, on site.
Second Harvest’s Erika Spence says families and residents who qualify for the federal food assistance can use the money at grocery stores and farmers markets.
“If you lost all of the food in your refrigerator, in your freezer, this is the program that's there to help you. This is the program that is there to help you restock your food pantry, restock your refrigerator and your freezer. And to help you regain the stability that you need to move forward.”
Spence says the program provides about a month's worth of food assistance.
“So if you apply and go through the interview, and receive the approval, it comes in the mail in an EBT card just like you would use at a supermarket like a debit card. It's loaded with the amount of, with money to help ideally for a month’s time. It depends on how many people are in your household."
Recipients can use this money to buy fresh fruits and veggies, meat and dairy products like milk and cheese.
The site is open Thursday, Friday and Sunday this week. People who already receive food stamps are not eligible to apply.
Pre-register for D-SNAP here.