PROVIDENCE, R.I. --The federal Department of Agriculture has approved $535,796 for Rhode Island recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits who lost frozen and perishable foods as a result of Hurricane Sandy.
Governor Chafee announced the extra money Sunday.
For SNAP recipients in communities where 50 percent or more residents lost power, the department will replace 25 percent of the October benefit, which will be automatically added to their benefit transfer cards by Friday.
Those communities are: Charlestown, Exeter, Foster, Glocester, Hopkinton, Jamestown, Little Compton, Middletown, Narragansett, Newport, Richmond, Scituate, South Kingstown, Tiverton, and Westerly.
SNAP recipents in other communities who lost perishable or frozen food must submit an application to the Department of Human Services (DHS) for replacement benefits.
For more information, call one of the six DHS field offices or visit dhs.ri.gov.