The Food and Nutrition Service of the Federal Department of Agriculture (FNS) approved the disbursement of a special issuance of $ 23.8 million for the beneficiaries of the Nutrition Assistance Program (PAN) in the 25 municipalities affected by the earthquakes.
Through a press release, the interim secretary of the Family, Eddie García Fuentes, reported that the issuance of the money will begin as of tomorrow, Friday.
“Aware of the needs that persist, we ask the federal government to activate the disbursement of emergency funds to continue alleviating those deficiencies and to support the affected families with an additional disbursement this March. Eliminating obstacles for these families to return to an optimum level of well-being to continue recovering is vital and is a priority for Governor Wanda Vázquez, ”explained the Acting secretary.
The official reported that the affected families have received other food aid, including food served by the School Canteen program of the Department of Education, food aid from the disaster assistance of FEMA, the National Guard of Puerto Rico and food from the TEFAP food program of the Department of the Family, in addition to the PAN.
“We are pleased that the federal authorities gave their approval to this disbursement that goes 100% to the families of the program. Participants do not have to go to a local office to receive the benefit. This will be reflected in your EBT accounts on the date they are entitled to receive their monthly benefit, with the exception of those whose social security digit ends at 0, who will also receive the benefit on the same day as the participants of digit 1 on Friday 6 March, ”he said.
Approximately 395 thousand participants benefit from this disbursement.
The 25 municipalities included in the Presidential Declaration of Disasters for Individual Assistance are the following (with their corresponding percent population benefited):
– Attachments (49.6%)
– Arecibo (47.7%)
– Cabo Rojo (34.22%)
– Ciales (59.5%)
– Corozal (52.2%)
– Guanica (53.2%)
– Guayanilla (55.5%)
– Anthills (39.6%)
– Jayuya (58.6%),
– Juana Díaz (44.0%)
– Lajas (49.8%)
– Lares (64.3%)
– Las Marías (58.8%)
– Maricao (48.3%)
– Mayaguez (43.8%)
– Morovis (47.4%)
– Orocovis (62.3%)
– Peñuelas (59.1%)
– Ponce (48.3%)
– Sabana Grande (43.6%)
– San Germán (45.4%)
– San Sebastián (56.3%)
– Utuado (52.0%)
– Villalba (58.3%)
– Yauco (49.6%), to which the town of Castañer is added.
The agency had a total of 706,716 participating families across the island as of January 31, 2020. What constitutes 40.7% of the population registered in the PAN program.
This payment does not represent a fixed increase, but rather a relief from the food needs of the affected families in the municipalities in the declaration of a disaster zone that were active in the month of January 2020. The payment dates this March correspond on days 6, 7, 10,12,14,16,18,20 and March 21, 2020.
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