A food assistance program is helping hundreds of people in Lake County after Hurricane Irma. 

  • Food assistance program available in Lake County
  • Program helps those who don't normally receive food stamps
  • It's available in 48 counties following Hurricane Irma

The Department of Children and Families has set up a site at Via Port Mall in Leesburg for the Food for Florida Disaster Food Assistance program or Disaster SNAP.  

Those who qualify are getting electronic benefits transfer cards, or EBT cards. 

It provides help for people who don't normally receive food stamps.

"When Irma came through, I lost all my food that was in my deep freezer and all my food that was in my refrigerator and I had just bought groceries," said Alicia Rose, who said she didn't have power for several days after the storm.

The program is available in 48 counties.

Officials say in order to qualify, you must have lived or worked in one of the counties declared for FEMA Individual Assistance on Sept. 5 and must have suffered a disaster-related loss, such as damage to your home or self-employment property, loss of food, reduction or loss of income, or have incurred other disaster related expenses.

"We're seeing a lot of emotional people, we're seeing a lot of the elderly, physically-disabled that have been without power from seven to nine days and they probably purchased their food and they've lost everything," said Dawn Murray, with the Department of Children and Families. 

The amount of benefits you'll get is based on household size and your income status.

The site in Lake County will close on Wednesday at 6 p.m.​

For a full list of site locations, click here.