North Carolina Ending Emergency Food And Nutrition Benefits For Many Families
A service that has been helping North Carolina families throughout the last several years is ending. Around 1 million North Carolina families will no longer be able to take advantage…
A service that has been helping North Carolina families throughout the last several years is ending. Around 1 million North Carolina families will no longer be able to take advantage of the COVID-19 emergency allotments through the state's Food and Nutrition Services. The loss of these additional food and nutrition benefits means our neighbors could be left wondering where they’ll get their next meal. Especially as grocery prices continue to rise nationwide.
According to the NCDHHS, families enrolled in Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) have gotten extra benefits each month since March 2020 or after due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. February 2023 is the last month to get these extra benefits. They are called “emergency allotments” or “maximum supplements.” This is due to a federal change that will end emergency allotments for all states as of March 2023
Eligible households were getting a minimum of $95 more per month, and they will see that amount is no longer included in checks after February. If you're enrolled in FNS, you will revert to getting your regular monthly benefit amounts in March 2023. The amount of this benefit depends on your current eligibility, household size, as well as other federal eligibility requirements.
You can view your regular monthly benefit amount online at www.ebtedge.com or through the EBT Edge mobile app. You can also view your current emergency allotment amount there.
More information on the program and other options are available here.
Two North Carolina Restaurants Featured In Yelp’s Top 100 Places To Eat
We are always looking for new restaurants to try. Our friends often have great recommendations but another resource we use is the review site Yelp. The site recently released its annual list of the Top 100 Places To Eat in the US for 2023. There were two North Carolina restaurants that were named to the top places to eat list. One of them is even local to Charlotte! The other you will find in Greensboro. To determine this list Yelp reached out to the user community first, requesting individuals to submit their favorite U.S. restaurants. From there the data science team at Yelp looked at the top community submissions to determine the top restaurants by ratings, number of reviews, and volume of submissions. They also made sure to include an equal geographic representation. Yelp community managers helped finalize the rankings.
That leads us to the 2023 Top 100 Places To Eat List. It includes eateries in a wide variety of cuisines including Italian, Ethiopian, Hawaiian, and Vegan offerings. It was not just North Carolina featured with two of the top places to eat. There was also a Charleston, South Carolina spot that made the list. I've featured each of those three places as well as highlighted to top 10 spots. If you're interested in restaurants in other areas of the country you can see everything Yelp included at this link.
North Carolina
32. Geno D's Pizza
Location: 224 E 7th St Charlotte, NC 28202
Type of Food: Pizza
What YELP reviewers are saying: "Pizza gods have finally answered!!! Inside the 7th Street market, I have been reading a lot about Geno D's Pizza, and finally made my way here. I am a New Yorker who lived in CT and yes, I am partial to New Haven pizza sorry but it is what it is. This place is the real deal. " user Alex H wrote.
75. Freeman's Grub & Pub
Location: 1820 Spring Garden St Greensboro, NC 27403
Type of Food: American (New), Cocktail Bar
What YELP reviewers are saying: Don B. Wrote, "We couldn't stop talking about how perfectly prepared each item was. The appetizer, entrees, sides, and dessert were so carefully crafted and the prices were very reasonable. The service was warm and friendly, as was the atmosphere."
South Carolina
92. Boxcar Betty's
Location: 1922 Savannah Hwy Charleston, SC 29407
Type of Food: Sandwiches, Chicken Shop
What YELP reviewers are saying: Catherine M. says, "The best chicken sandwich I've ever had. Me and my homegirl went there for the first time and ended up going back two more times that same week just for the sandwich. Also a very nice head chef and staff is friendly."
Top 10 Places To Eat According To Yelp
1. BROKEN MOUTH | Lee's Homestyle
Location: 718 S Los Angeles St Los Angeles, CA 90014
Type of Food: Hawaiian, Korean
What YELP reviewers are saying: Matthew H. says, "WOW there is TRULY a reason this place has 5 stars with over a thousand reviews! i don't usually give compliments to the chef but this place deserves it 100%".
2. Kaaloa's Super Js Authentic Hawaiian
Location: 83-5409 Mamalahoa Hwy Captain Cook, HI 96704
Type of Food: Hawaiian
What YELP reviewers are saying: Gazzele P writes, "Holy smokes, was this ever good! Didn't want to try because of the description and photo, but made myself because of the rave reviews and it being authentic.
So glad I did. Probably one the best and most flavorful meals ever."
3. Archibalds Village Bakery
Location: 608 Breakers Ave Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Type of Food: Bakery
What YELP reviewers are saying: May L. writes, "This is the loveliest place to have breakfast before hitting the beach or even lunch afterwards. It's only a few steps from the beach. We had a quiche, BLT, and a sticky pecan bun. Everything was absolutely delicious. The bacon on the BLT was perfectly crispy and my sticky bun was a thing to dream of. All their baked goods looked so tempting."
4. Beyer Deli
Location: 3065 Beyer Blvd Ste A105 San Diego, CA 92154
Type of Food: Sandwiches, Delis
What YELP reviewers are saying: Geoff L. writes, "I'm gonna make this short and sweet- had a variety of their sandwiches and all were excellent. Tried a sample of their bacon ranch pasta salad and it's excellent as well. I'm not sure you can miss with anything you order. The Reuben, however... easily one of my all-time favorites...the rye bread alone almost brought a tear to my eye. Holy smokes these guys knock it out of the park with this sandwich."
5. Adela’s Country Eatery
Location: 5-1151 Kamehameha Hwy Ste 2 Kaneohe, HI 96744
Type of Food: Hawaiian, Seafood
What YELP reviewers are saying: Here's what Carli M. had to say, "Adela's never misses!! This is a must go whenever we venture to the windward side. Aunty Millie and her gang whip up some of the best comfort food combos that never fail to satisfy. Our go to is the stuffed chicken with green beans with either mashed potatoes or rice. Cannot go wrong. Second plate is always a toss up between the braised short ribs, portobello mushroom and ulu pasta or lechon kawali. Homemade pastas are always super yummy so just pick whatever you like, whether ulu, sweet potato, avocado, taro, or moringa."
6. Sunbliss Cafe
Location: 701 S Weir Canyon Rd Ste 115 Anaheim, CA 92808
Type of Food: Coffee & Tea, Juice Bars & Smoothies
What YELP reviewers are saying: Belinda M. says, "I love their Peanut Butter Acai Bowl or Peanut Butter Bliss. It's topped with banana, strawberries, acai, and crunchy oatmeal. It's so yummy that I am literary craving for it right now. "
7. The Nook Cajun Cafe
Location: 2085 River Rd Unit G Norco, CA 92860
Type of Food: Cajun/Creole, Seafood
What YELP reviewers are saying: Dorothy K writes, "OMG, the food here is freakin AMAZING!!! We have not had such flavorful food like this in so long! The seasoning was perfect! From the first bite, we were in heaven."
8. Tumerico
Location: 2526 E 6th St Tucson, AZ 85716
Type of Food: Vegan/Vegetarian
What YELP reviewers are saying: Daniel A. says, "Always the right answer when it comes to food in Tucson. Never been disappointed when I go. Food is so fresh and there are so many new options that I'm always excited to go. All my friends from out of town rave about this place afterwards and they sometimes have no idea that it's mainly vegan food! Love the cuban and Al Pastor tacos."
9. Selam Ethiopian & Eritrean Cuisine
Location: 5494 Central Florida Pkwy Orlando, FL 32821
Type of Food: Ethiopian, Vegan
What YELP reviewers are saying: Zahava P. says, "One of the best meals of my life and everyone else in the group had the same opinion. The food was amazing. The drinks were amazing and the service could not be beat . They were able to cater to everyone's needs including a 2 year old. I highly recommend and will definitely be back."
10. Sababa Falafel Shop
Location: 11011 Brookhurst St Garden Grove, CA 92840
Type of Food: Falafel, Middle Eastern
What YELP reviewers are saying: Chris D. wrote, "Seriously, ever single bite I was going "mmmm.... oh man, this is so good". Everything in my bowl had a unique flavor and paired up perfectly. Every single bite was exciting for my taste buds and I loved every bite. The falafel was some of the best I've had. They had a ton of flavor and weren't dried from over cooking like some places."
