Post-Ian benefits assistance event at the Lee Civic Center draws thousands
An outreach to help residents affected by Hurricane Ian obtain assistance to which they are entitled drew thousands of Lee Countians to the Lee County Civic center this past weekend.
The three-day event helped individuals and families see if they could qualify for the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or D-SNAP program an opportunity created by the Department of Children and Families.
D-SNAP provides food assistance for those impacted by Hurricane Ian who are not receiving food assistance benefits through the regular SNAP.
A visit to the Civic Center Saturday showed a huge crowd seeking benefits, with traffic backed up and being directed along Bayshore Road and SR 31.
Casey Penn, assistant secretary from DCF, said this on-site event was for people who suffered food loss during the storm. They could come and receive D-SNAP benefits.
“It’s an EBT card with a one-time payment for food assistance so you can go to your local grocery store and buy food,” Penn said.
How much households receive is dependent on how many people are in the household. A single person could expect maybe $200, whereas a family with multiple children could receive as much as $1,000, Penn estimated.
The card is good for 90 days. Those who qualified got their cards onsite. They will be activated shortly afterward, usually within a few days, Penn said.
Applicants who were approved during the telephone interview for D-SNAP will receive their EBT card by mail. Current SNAP recipients are not eligible for D-SNAP.
“Eligibility depends on the size of your household and your income during the disaster period versus how much loss you had,” Penn said. “If you don’t qualify, there are food banks and other food assistance out there.”
Those who do qualify or who are low income are encouraged to register for ongoing SNAP benefits, Penn said.
DCF works closely with local governments to make sure the proper authorities are ready when they come for an event like this. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office was there as well as the EOC and LeeTran.
There were checkpoints for attendees, and the media was not allowed inside the building as there was a litany of important information regarding thousands of people.
Penn said Friday was busy, but expected the weekend to be even busier when everyone was off work and could come down, starting at 7 a.m.
LeeTran and the Lee County School District provided free transportation throughout the weekend, with 15 pickup points throughout the county.
Many qualified for D-SNAP benefits through phone interviews or by pre-registering. In October, shortly after the storm, more than 30,000 households were able to receive benefits through their telephonic events, since many onsite locations were still closed and damaged.
Those who preregistered found out the process went rather smoothly, with some being in and out in a matter of minutes.
Adriana Olivera, from Cape Coral, came for benefits and was happy that the staff was able to help so efficiently.
“They helped me a lot and they are very nice people. I appreciate what they did. It’s a very hard time for all of us. We spent a month at my friend’s house, but we survived,” Olivera said. “We appreciate getting support from the government.”
Melissa Donev said they were more blessed than others during the storm, but still needed the help after losing a lot of food during the storm.
“I pre-registered so the experience was very quick. It took about 10 minutes. I have a daughter who just had a child, so this is going to help us after losing all our food,” Donev said. “It’s great to have people helping each other.”
To reach CHUCK BALLARO, please email news@breezenewspapers.com