Ida Recovery: ‘Hot Meal’ Funds Available In Essex, Hudson, Union

NEW JERSEY — When the federal government issues a disaster declaration, it can help a local community recover in many ways. And one of them can be a hot meal, according to U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr.

On Monday, Payne (D-10) announced that residents of Essex, Hudson and Union counties who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will be able to purchase hot food with their Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards through Sept. 30.

The temporary policy change is intended to help people cope with the devastation of Hurricane Ida, which hit the North Jersey region hard earlier this month.

Essex, Hudson and Union counties – which are all in New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District – were approved for FEMA disaster funds last week. Read More: Essex County, Others Now On FEMA Disaster List For Hurricane Ida Relief

Payne said the benefits are part of a special disaster assistance program available to residents of counties included in a federal disaster declaration, but they are only available through participating SNAP retailers.

“Many residents are looking for shelter to replace housing that was damaged during Tropical Storm Ida,” Payne said. “In addition, many of them are struggling to get power and replace cooking appliances they lost after the floods. I applaud the New Jersey Human Services for making this benefit available to SNAP recipients during this difficult time.”

According to Payne:

“In addition, district SNAP recipients have until September 30, 2021 to request replacement food benefits for food lost due to the storms. But they must contact their local Board of Social Services before September 30, 2021 to make this request. Usually, SNAP recipients are unable to use their EBT cards to purchase hot food. However, Tropical Storm Ida made cooking hot food impossible because the storms cut power to homes or caused flood damage that forced many families to relocate until damaged housing could be fixed.”

For a list of participating SNAP retailers, visit here.

For a list of County Boards of Social Services, visit here.

For residents who want direct assistance for Ida-related recovery, visit here.

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