STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Help is on the way for hungry hurricane victims.
More than 1.1 million pounds of food will pour into Staten Island and other areas of New York devastated by Hurricane Sandy after the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved the state’s request for emergency food resources.
The food will be distributed to households through 1,000 designated emergency feeding outlets in New York City, Long Island and in Westchester and Rockland counties. The distribution will take place through Nov. 30.
It has not yet been announced where the food for the Island will be distributed from.
“The damage I have seen and the destruction of whole communities is just devastating,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who visited the Island on Monday. “Too many families are still struggling with basic necessities like food, heat and shelter. The federal government will stand with these families at every step of the way to meet these basic needs and rebuild.”
The USDA announced the food effort after Ms. Gillibrand and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) pressed the agency to send emergency food resources to struggling New Yorkers reeling from Hurricane Sandy and left without food or shelter.
“As residents throughout New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley recover from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, the federal government needs all hands on deck,” said Schumer. “I am relieved that the USDA heeded our call to provide over a million pounds of food for New Yorkers who are fighting through the aftermath of this storm, and has agreed to extend critical support to those that rely on federal food assistance to feed their families.”
The USDA also approved the state’s request to extend certification periods for ongoing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households due to recertify in October and November in a dozen counties, including the Island.
Cases in the 12 counties will be extended for one additional month without the need to recertify.
The USDA also approved New York’s request to issue automatic, mass replacement benefits equal to 50 percent of the October 2012 benefit amount for SNAP recipients.
A complete list of zip codes where recipients will receive replacement SNAP benefits is available here: http://otda.ny.gov/news/SNAP-replacements.pdf
Soup kitchens and food pantries are serving New Yorkers with food deliveries where conditions allow, and nutrition advocates and volunteers are working around the clock to bring meals within reach to New Yorkers displaced by the storm and flooding.
But as families that receive food stamps reach the end of the month when benefits typically run scarce, more turn to food pantries, doubling the pressure on these resources already stretched thin by the storm.
Advance Political Editor Tom Wrobleski writes the Polit Bureau blog. Follow him on Twitter.
