Replacement food stamps for those who lost food because of Hurricane Irene

An important note from our friends at Women in Prison Project, a part of the Correctional Association of NY:

If you are on food stamps and lost food during the storm (due to power
outage, flooding, etc.) you can have that food replaced. You must file
a “replacement food stamp benefit” form within 10 days.

You can get help filing this form by:

Calling HRA or your food stamp office
Calling 311
Contacting the Food Bank of NYC at (212) 586-7855

Having proof of a problem is helpful but not required. For example, it
can be helpful to have a letter from the landlord stating that you had
flooding or power outage or from Con Ed saying that the power went out.
Folks in the Bronx, Jamaica and Staten Island who were affected by the
storm should especially know about this.

The food stamp program is a federal benefit, so if you know people in NJ
(or anywhere else) they can get a a food stamp reimbursement too by
contacting their local food stamp office in their state.

Important note for the future: This food stamp reimbursement is not
just limited to this storm. At any point in time, if you are on food
stamps and lose food because of some “misfortune” such as flooding,
refrigerator damage, evacuation or because you had not access to your
home and food went bad, you can apply for replacement food stamp
benefits.

Please share with your networks ASAP. You have to apply within 10 days
of the “misfortune”.