FRANKFORT, Ky. — Governor Andy Beshear has announced the addition of two counties to the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program offering emergency food benefits to those affected by Dec. 10 Western Kentucky tornadoes.
Beshear said that Barren and Marion counties were approved by the USDA Food and Nutrition Services on Jan. 12 to operate DSNAP, which provides short-term food help to individuals and families in counties that receive a federal disaster declaration.
DSNAP provides eligible individuals and households, who do not currently receive regular SNAP food benefits, help buying groceries because of lost income or damages following a disaster.
“These benefits will help support so many more Kentucky families in need,” Beshear said. “We know rebuilding after such a disaster can be a long process, but these funds and this federal commitment are a crucial part of the support our families need as they recover and rebuild.”
With the addition, DSNAP will be available to Kentuckians living or working in Barren and Marion counties who were affected by severe winter tornadoes and storms of Dec. 10. The application period for these two counties is Tuesday, Jan. 18, through Monday, Jan. 24. Applications will not be taken Sunday, Jan. 23.
Applications can be made by phone through the dedicated DSNAP phone line at 833-371-8570, or in person at a Department for Community Based Services office:
- Barren County: 746D E. Main St., Glasgow
- Marion County: 634 W. Main St., Lebanon
These two counties are in addition to the 14 counties included when President Joe Biden declared a major disaster declaration on Dec.12, 2021, at Gov. Beshear’s request to make federal funding available for Kentucky families and communities to recover.
Kentuckians living and working in the previously announced counties: Caldwell, Christian, Fulton, Graves, Hart, Hickman, Hopkins, Logan, Lyon, Marshall, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Taylor and Warren have a three-day extension for their DSNAP application deadline – the newly announced deadline is Saturday, Jan. 15. Find office addresses online at bit.ly/3pAcVvD. Graves County has a DSNAP application location separate from the DCBS county office: 1002 Medical Center Drive, Mayfield. Hopkins County has an additional location for DSNAP applicants: 23524 Dawson Springs Road, Dawson Springs.
Office hours for DSNAP application and card pickup are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday. Phone hours for DSNAP are 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. on Saturday. All phone times are Eastern Standard Time.
Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander said the administration is helping families affected by the tornadoes to have healthy meals in an uncertain time.
“We all want to support these families and let them start a new year with new hope,” he said. “When spent locally, emergency food benefits can also help revitalize the businesses and communities coming back from these tornadoes.”
For information about all storm recovery resources, visit Gov. Beshear’s Tornado Resources information page at governor.ky.gov/tornadoresources.
To donate to the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund, visit TeamWKYReliefFund.ky.gov.
For information about other local resources and benefits, visit kynect.ky.gov.