Nearly 11K in Greenville apply for food aid after October floods

Nearly 11,000 Greenville County residents have applied for one-time food assistance benefits as part a federal program designed to help victims who suffered flood damage.

Through Thursday, approximately 10,800 applications had been received at the TD Convention Center, said Karen Wingo, a spokeswoman for the Department of Social Services.

Greenville was one of 24 South Carolina counties eligible to receive food relief from the federal Disaster Supplemental Assistance Program as a result of October's flooding event.

As hundreds of people converged on the TD Center again Friday to apply for food assistance — provided by way of a debit card similar to EBT — one local advocate feared many applicants may have been misled into thinking they were getting free food.

"They thought that just because they lived in Greenville County, they could get a free card," said Jack Logan. "They didn't understand that they would have to prove later of damages or face criminal charges."

Under the D-SNAP program, only residents who suffered damages to their home and loss of income can qualify, according to Wingo.

But Logan said he knows several applicants didn't have to provide a receipt or pay stub but still left with $500 worth of food benefits. Now they could face criminal charges.

"When they were in line, the only thing that was asked of them was a driver’s license and Social Security card," he said.

Wingo said applicants who misrepresented themselves as flood victims could be charged with food stamp fraud, a state violation that carries up to 30 days imprisonment, a $1,000 fine or both.

It's unlikely that will happen in most cases, according to Wingo.

Applicants go through one-on-one interviews with a staff member and are required to complete an application on site before a card is issued. And applicants aren't approved unless they satisfy all the criteria, which includes providing the total amount of damages suffered.

One woman Wingo said she talked to ran a business out of her home but wasn't able to work for three or four days because of the flooding.

"There wasn’t a loss invoice or pay stub that she could show as a direct result of that, but she was able to quantify on average how much she earned each day," Wingo said. "It’s very much based on the individual, what the different circumstances could be."

DSS will later go back and randomly check a certain number of applications, Wingo said.

Many households that already receive SNAP benefits won't be eligible to receive additional assistance, she said.

Logan said the D-SNAP process should be implemented in such a way so that struggling parents that do get a debit card aren't punished for trying to feed their children.

Friday was the last day for Greenville County residents to apply for emergency food assistance.

For more information, visit dss.sc.gov or call 1-800-616-1309.