LONG WAITS FOR FOOD AID ON LAST DAY
Many show up before dawn to take advantage of Irma relief program.
Six-hour waits on Dixie Highway, Congress Avenue and Lantana Road greeted applicants as the sun came up Saturday, the last day for the Food for Florida Program in Palm Beach County.
“We got here at 6 a.m. Traffic already way backed up. My wife said we should have been here at 2 a.m. I should have listened to her,” said Peter Gastrons as he and his wife, Alice, sat in southbound gridlock on Dixie Highway, just north of Sixth Avenue South, about 8 a.m.
Alice rolled her eyes.
The Boynton Beach couple were on their way to apply for the Food for Florida program at John Prince Park west of Lake Worth. Applications also were being accepted at Lake Ida West Park in Delray Beach and Glades Pioneer Park in Belle Glade.
The program, which began at the three parks on Tuesday and ran daily, offered vouchers to families who lost food in power outages or had their homes damaged by Hurricane Irma.
Saturday was the makeup day for anyone who could not make it during the work week. The application centers opened at 7 a.m. They closed at 6 p.m.
By 9 a.m., traffic on northbound Congress Avenue at the entrance to John Prince Park was backed up well past JFK Medical Center. Large crowds also were reported at Lake Ida West Park.
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies at John Prince Park were asked often about the long lines. Several deputies suggested applicants go to Pioneer Park in Belle Glade where they said they’d heard lines were not as long.
Louise Samedy was in the passenger’s seat with her family as they approached the John Prince entrance about 9 a.m. She and her husband have a 2-year-old. They are expecting a second child. They got in line at about 4 a.m. “We lost food when the power went out. We had damage to our roof,” said the West Palm Beach resident when asked what type of relief she was applying for.
Those who qualified received
ness repairs, evacuation and temporary shelter expenses.
Juan Blanco, an air conditioning repairman, was in benefit cards, possibly worth the passenger’s seat with a hundreds of dollars, that can friend as they approached be redeemed at supermar- the entrance. The Greenacres kets and other stores. resident, who has a 2-year
Applicants could pre-regold son, said they had been ister online but had to apply waiting since 4 a.m. in person to receive ben“I have damage to my efits. roof,” Blanco said.
The benefits vary based Since Hurricane Irma, on income and are available more than $954 million in to people who do not norfederal food assistance has mally receive food stamps. been distributed through A person who earns $1,664 the program across Florimonthly could be eligible da to more than 7.2 million to receive $386 in benefits, Floridians, according to a while a family earning less press release issued Friday than $2,710 could receive by DCF.
$1,289. A sliver of that total went
The program is part of the to a relative of Estelle Diaz, Florida Department of Chil- a Greenacres resident who dren and Families’ Disaster was waiting Saturday mornSupplemental Nutrition Asing at the exit of John Prince sistance Program, which proPark. Her family members, vides food assistance in 48 who had lost food in their reFlorida counties. frigerator after their power
To qualify, applicants must went out, were in the park have lived or worked in one applying for relief. of the 48 counties and have “They gave me a bout experienced at least one im- $300,” said one of Diaz’s pact: damage or destruction relatives when they stopped of their home or business; to pick her up. loss of income and disaster-related expenses such as food loss, home and busi-