Warwick Office Update Due to facility maintenance, the DHS regional office at 195 Buttonwoods Ave., Warwick, will only be open for document drop-offs until further notice. All planned appointments and customer interviews at the Warwick office have been rescheduled for other times, locations, or over the phone. The Customer Portal (healthyrhode.ri.gov), the mobile app, the Call Center (1-855-697-4347), and other regional offices remain available.
SUN Bucks Update Families who received SUN Bucks benefits for their eligible school-age child on July 1, 2024 have until October 30 to use the benefits on their EBT or SUN Bucks card(s). These benefits were issued over the summer, automatically with some exceptions, to eligible school-age children who would have received free or reduced priced lunch during the regular school year. These extra benefits will be removed from cards if they are not used by October 30. Additional information about SUN Bucks is available online here: https://dhs.ri.gov/programs-and-services/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/supplemental-nutrition-10
Interpretation Services Available If you are seeking information about DHS programs and services in a language other than English, please be advised that interpretation services and/or interpreters are available to you at no cost. Persons with disabilities requiring another form of communication, such as auxiliary aids for hearing and the visually impaired, can inform DHS about their needs so appropriate accommodations can be made.
Online Purchasing & Restaurant Meals Program A USDA Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) approval now allows Rhode Island SNAP participants to select and pay for their groceries online using their EBT card at some websites and participating stores. It is called the Online Purchasing Program. Also, DHS offers a program that allows homeless households and some elderly and disabled households to use their SNAP benefits to buy prepared meals at nine participating Subway restaurants. It is called the Restaurant Meals Program. Read more about both below. Online Purchasing Program Due to the need to make shopping for groceries easier during the pandemic, the federal government approved SNAP participants could purchase eligible groceries with their EBT card online. Participating retailers are: Aldi SNAP recipients can purchase groceries online at ALDI USA. Additional information about it can be found at here. Amazon To learn more and register for online grocery shopping on Amazon, go to: Amazon Accepts SNAP EBT in Select States. BJ's Wholesale Club For more information about its pilot program in Rhode Island and others states, visit here. Walmart For Walmart, anyone in RI can purchase online but there are limited stores available to pick up the groceries or to receive delivery. Those stores include: North Smithfield Coventry Westerly North Kingstown Cranston Warwick Providence SNAP benefits cannot be used to cover the cost of delivery at this time. To learn more about SNAP acceptance at Walmart, please visit Walmart Grocery Pickup Accepts SNAP EBT Payments. Stop & Shop Items eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits will be labeled accordingly. For more information, or to place a delivery or pickup order with Stop & Shop, visit www.stopandshop.com/new-customer. You can also purchase groceries with Stop & Stop through Instacart at https://www.instacart.com/stop-shop. Do you want to be a retailer for the online purchasing program? If you are a retailer for the online purchasing program, find more information here. If you are a brick and mortar store interested in accepting EBT, you can find more information here. Restaurant Meals Program With the Restaurant Meals Program, eligible SNAP recipients can use their SNAP benefits to buy prepared meals at nine participating Subway restaurants. This program is available to you if your SNAP household meets one or more of the following criteria: Older Adults: the participant household must have only members who are 60 or older, or an older individual and his or her spouse Disabled: the participant household must have only members who are designated disabled by a government entity, or a disabled individual and his or her spouse Homeless: the participant household must lack a fixed and regular nighttime residence or be living in a shelter, halfway house or a place not designed for sleeping Look for participating restaurants displaying this sign. Participating restaurants (see list below) will have signage that states “Participating Restaurant: SNAP Restaurant Meals Program” with the “Fork & Knife” logo displayed on the door or window. You will be able to use your EBT card, which will be run through a Point of Sale device, similar to use of EBT at a grocery store. Restaurant Meals Program Participants (rev. 12.2022) PDF file, less than 1mbmegabytes Want more info about this program? Frequently asked questions can be found below. RESTAURANT MEALS PROGRAM QA (updated 8.2.2023) PDF file, less than 1mbmegabytes