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City to Issue Special Food Aid to Families Hit Hard by Sandy

By Aidan Gardiner on December 7, 2012 4:35pm

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NEW YORK CITY — Families still reeling from Hurricane Sandy will soon be able to get some relief from worrying about how to afford their next meal.

Starting Dec. 12, about 30,000 households in affected neighborhoods across the city can apply for Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance, or D-SNAP, a lump sum to buy food, government officials announced Friday.

“This news comes as an enormous relief and will benefit some of the city’s hardest hit communities, allowing residents to focus on rebuilding their lives instead of worrying about whether they have enough money to put food on the table,” City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said in a joint statement with City Councilwoman Annabel Palma.

Those who qualify can apply through Dec. 18 for their portion of the $13 million released by the federal government to the city.

The amount of money households will receive will be based on their income, along with their financial resources and storm-related expenses between Oct. 27 and Nov. 25.

For example, a two-person household that had less than $2,695 in assets during that period can qualify for $367 in food aid. Households of three with less than $3,416 can get $526 in aid.

Qualifying neighborhoods, determined by ZIP code, include Coney Island, Gerritsen Beach, the Lower East Side, Red Hook, the Rockaways and parts of Staten Island’s southern shore.

The qualifying ZIP codes in Brooklyn are 11224, 11235 and 11231; in Queens they are 11691, 11692, 11693, 11694 and 11697; in Manhattan it is 10002; and on Staten Island it is 10306.

Households in 11229 in Coney Island south of Allen Avenue and 10305 on Staten Island south of Seaview Avenue also qualify.

Applicants must provide proof of residence and documents showing their income and family size, and they must demonstrate that they had storm-related expenses.

People can apply at two locations: 495 Clermont Ave. in Brooklyn and New Dorp High School at 465 New Dorp Lane in Staten Island.

At the Brooklyn location, only applicants whose last name begins with a letter between A and M can apply on Dec. 12, and those between N and Z the next day. There no restrictions thereafter.

Those who already receive SNAP funds will be automatically enrolled in the storm program if their November 2012 benefit amount was less than that allowed for their family size.

“Tens of thousands of city residents suffered enormous damage from the storm and are struggling to rebuild their lives,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said in a statement. “This emergency federal aid would help New Yorkers provide food for their families.”

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