HOUSTON — In Beryl’s aftermath, millions of people who lost power have had to throw away nearly all of their refrigerated food.
Thankfully, help is available.
The Houston Food Bank is giving out bags of fruit, dry goods and other items to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) recipients only.
"What they're receiving today is bananas, peaches, grapes, and dry goods like meats, pasta, and those kinds of things," Jolene Norbert-Harrell with the Houston Food Bank said.
She said the need is enormous after Beryl and they've seen roughly three times the number of people seeking assistance.
Along with bags of non-perishable food, the food bank is showing SNAP recipients how to reload their cards used at stores so they can replace the perishable items lost.
"Since they already lost their food, we are replacing those benefits so they can get those benefits, essentially reloaded on their card to take back to the grocery store to replace the food that they lost," Norbert-Harrell explained.
If you don’t qualify for SNAP, you can find a list of partner pantries on the Houston Food Bank's website that can provide food assistance with no questions asked.
We also have a list of distribution sites in the Houston area that are giving out free food, water, ice and supplies.