The Alexander County Department of Social Services will offer a Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) to help non-SNAP recipients who lost food during Hurricane Helene. DSS is working in coordination with the NC Department of Health & Human Services and the US Department of Agriculture. Current SNAP recipients are not eligible.

Residents in the following 25 counties may apply for DSNAP: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey.

Each of the affected counties will offer D-SNAP. In Alexander County, D-SNAP applications will be accepted October 18-24 (seven consecutive days), Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the DSS office (604 7th Street SW, Taylorsville). These are strict timeframes, so anyone arriving after the cutoff time will be asked to return the next day.

Eligibility is based on household size and net income. To be eligible, applicants must have suffered losses/damages related to Hurricane Helene, such as damage to property or loss of income; have proof of identity and proof of residency; and not currently receive Food and Nutrition Services benefits. Eligible applicants will receive an EBT card on-site and will have benefits loaded on the card within three days of the application date.

Eligible households may also apply by phone by calling the D-SNAP Virtual Call Center at 1-844-453-1117 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Saturday and Sunday.

Pre-registration is available beginning October 15 by using the ePASS tool at https://epass.nc.gov. Once the online pre-registration is completed, applicants will be issued a confirmation number and will receive a call later to complete the registration with an interview over the phone.

For more information, please contact Trena Riddle at 828-352-7672.