RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday that the Food and Nutrition Services program (food stamps) has expanded participation in the FNS Online Purchasing Program from seven retailers to 11. FNS recipients can access these 11 retailers online to make food purchases with their Electronic Benefit Transfer cards.
Authorized retailers in North Carolina accepting FNS EBT payments online are:
- Aldi
- Amazon
- BJ's Wholesale Club
- Carlie C's
- Compare Foods Clayton (newly participating)
- Deep Roots Market (newly participating)
- Earth Fare (newly participating)
- Food Lion
- Piggly Wiggly of Kinston, N.C. (HWY 258 N) (newly participating)
- Publix
- Walmart
FNS participants can use their EBT cards to purchase eligible food items from online retailers. Any additional charges that are not food items, such as service and delivery charges, cannot be paid for with EBT benefits. NC DHHS said the FNS participant will be required to pay for the additional charges with another form of payment, such as a debit or credit card.
Online shopping options for FNS participants provide several benefits, such as:
- Allowing participants to buy food while promoting social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19
- Helping families overcome transportation and mobility barriers to access food benefits
- Allowing participants to shop easily and efficiently from their homes
- Helping participants easily compare prices and maximize benefits
WCNC Charlotte is part of seven major media companies and other local institutions producing I Can’t Afford to Live Here, a collaborative reporting project focused on solutions to the affordable housing crisis in Charlotte. It is a project of the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative, which is supported by the Local Media Project, an initiative launched by the Solutions Journalism Network with support from the Knight Foundation to strengthen and reinvigorate local media ecosystems. See all of our reporting at charlottejournalism.org.