The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service is giving over 208,000 Connecticut low-income families aid to replace food that was spoiled due to power outages after Tropical Storm Irene.
The federally funded program known as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) formally known as food stamps, will receive over $13 million in replacement benefits for households enrolled in the program according to Social Services Commissioner Roderick L. Bremby.
Households will get a one-time boost ranging from $4 to over $300 depending on income and size with an average replacement benefit estimated to be $62 Bremby said.
“The federal approval replacement benefit for SNAP-eligible households in Connecticut is due in large part to the extensive and lengthy power outages that affected so many areas of the state," Bremby stated.
The Department of Social Services began electronically transmitting the replacement benefits into the accounts of families this week.
Recipients can also request individual SNAP replacement benefits if they lost food during a power outage by calling 2-1-1 or logging onto www.211ct.org. The deadline for reporting food loss is September 19th at midnight.
Only families enrolled in SNAP during the time Tropical Storm Irene hit Connecticut are eligible for benefits.
