Food and Meal Resources for Residents After Hurricane Zeta

Today, the City of New Orleans provided additional information on resources available to residents in need of food or meal assistance after Hurricane Zeta. 

Recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in Orleans Parish will receive automatic 25% replacement benefits due to widespread power outages from Hurricane Zeta, following a waiver approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. The benefits – 25% of each household’s monthly allotment – will be automatically loaded onto recipients’ SNAP EBT cards on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. More information can be found at www.dcfs.la.gov/SNAPstorms.

The City of New Orleans and State of Louisiana continue to conduct damage assessments and will be making the request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for Individual Assistance programs, including DSNAP. It is not known yet if DSNAP will be approved. Residents are asked to stay tuned for updates and can pre-register for DSNAP at dcfs.louisiana.gov/page/dsnap-registration in case it is approved. When you provide your mobile number, the Department of Children and Family Services will be able to text you with updates. 

Community organizations are also offering various meal and grocery distribution events across this city this week. Visit ready.nola.gov/zetafood for an ongoing list of food distributions.  

Additionally, the City of New Orleans COVID-19 Meal Assistance Program will continue at least through Friday, Nov. 6. Residents eligible to receive restaurant-made meals delivered to their homes include the following, as long as they are not receiving other federally supported food:  

• Seniors age 65 and above 
• Adults with high-risk health conditions and special medical needs (examples include pregnancy, smoking, asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart or lung disease, obesity, cancer, compromised immune system, kidney disease, liver disease, HIV, AIDS, Sickle cell disease, and more) 
• Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 or have been exposed and require isolation or quarantine 
• Homeless residents 
• Children under 18 

Call 3-1-1 or visit nola311.org/mealassist to sign up. The City has requested a 30-day extension from FEMA and expects a decision to be made shortly.