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Hurricane Irma: 20K applications processed for final day for food benefits

Victims of Hurricane Irma lined up Wednesday at Camping World Stadium for their last chance to get food assistance.               
Many residents lost all their food during the storm because they lost power for days.
Wednesday was the final day, and it was the busiest one yet. People camped out in the parking lot waiting to get in line. 
DCF officials said they processed an average of 1,500 an hour.
"They check your ID, then you go to the next person and they pull up your application, and make sure you were registered, and it’s literally like a three-minute process once you are in front of the person," resident Morrissa Smith said.
Mark Fisher said waking up early and waiting in line was worth it.
"Anyone who is willing to come out here and, you know, replenish the stuff that they lost, I feel like it's a good opportunity to come and take advantage of what Orlando has to offer," Fisher said.

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More than 500 Department of Children and Families employees were at the stadium to assist residents.
When the gates closed, there were still about 5,000 people in line and it took hours to get them all through.
“I do believe it’s because of the last day,” said Kissimmee resident Gabriela Stevens.
Stevens received several hundred dollars in benefits to recover some of her family’s food losses.
“They were able to give us enough that would cover the expenses for two weeks for my family of five,” said Stevens.
The line appeared to grow with each passing hour.
For anyone who couldn't make it, DCF will have another food assistance site opening next week at the Florida Horse Park in Ocala in Marion County. It will be open from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 .  
While many victims waited for hours in line, there are people taking advantage of the situation by offering to sell food benefit cards for cash online.
Those who were waiting in line at Camping World Stadium are disappointed knowing people are trying to beat the system.
Anyone caught committing fraud will have to pay the money back and might be banned from state food programs. They could also face criminal charges, authorities said.
DCF said they’ve stopped $8.75 million in fraud attempts statewide.