10/18/2024
So many families in Sullivan county lost all there food due to loss of power . Wished it helped them too.
TDHS is administering three emergency food assistance programs to help East Tennesseans impacted by Hurricane Helene:
1. Replacement Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is an option for SNAP recipients who lost food due to a 12-hour power outage or household misfortune.
To receive replacement SNAP, participants can submit a signed SNAP Replacement Affidavit Form using the One DHS Customer Portal at OneDHS.TN.Gov. Tennessee households in Carter, Clay, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, and Washington Counties have until October 28, 2024 to submit the form. The Affidavit Form and additional details for Tennesseans outside these counties can be found at https://www.tn.gov/humanservices/for-families/tdhs-disaster-emergency-assistance.html.
2. Disaster SNAP (D-SNAP) is an option for Tennesseans in select counties who do not regularly receive SNAP, but need food assistance due to a specific disaster. Similar to SNAP, the program uses electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards to deliver benefits to households that qualify based on federal guidelines. Cards can be used to purchase food at USDA-approved retailers.
Tennesseans who lived or worked in Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi and Washington Counties and experienced loss as a result of Hurricane Helene may be eligible for D-SNAP and can apply for the program on the One DHS Customer Portal at OneDHS.TN.Gov from October 21-25, 2024. Eligibility, pre-registration information, and other details can be found at https://www.tn.gov/humanservices/for-families/tdhs-disaster-emergency-assistance.html.
3. A Temporary Hot Food Waiver allows SNAP recipients in select counties to purchase hot food and prepared at USDA-approved retailers and grocers using program benefits. Households in Carter, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington Counties are approved to purchase hot and prepared food with SNAP benefits until November 30, 2024.
Tennesseans can find other Hurricane Helene emergency resources at https://www.tn.gov/tema/updates/hurricane-helene.html .