BY ANDY GARDNER
North Country This Week

St. Lawrence County’s Social Services director is encouraging residents who need food to apply for SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.

Heather Wenzel, DSS interim commissioner, said her department doesn’t have a lot of options to get cash payments to local needy people, but SNAP is available to anyone who meets the income criteria.

She made the comment after Legislator Rick Perkins, D-Potsdam, asked if there is an option for people waiting on unemployment to get a cash payment from DSS and “sign some sort of legal document that when they get their unemployment they’d pay that back.”

Temporary Assistance gives small direct cash payments to some, but it’s contingent on things like home or car ownership.

“There are not a lot of options” besides SNAP, Wenzel said. “There are some people who could be eligible for Temporary Assistance, and it may be they would have to pay that back … it really depends if folks have resources.

“I think SNAP is a really great option for people who do have resources, because it alleviates need in one area.”

“Every day I’m talking to families that are frightened because it’s been six, eight weeks they’ve been waiting for their … unemployment checks to arrive … they’re not quite sure what they’re going to do in terms of feeding themselves and their families,” said Legislator Jim Reagen, R-Ogdensburg. “There’s no shame in applying for this federal assistance … so they can feed their families during this time of crisis.”

DSS has a page on the St. Lawrence County government website at https://www.stlawco.org/Departments/SocialServices/

It includes information so people can find the correct department before calling, writing or stopping by their office at 6 Judson St., Canton.