ASCENSION -  The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) will open Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (DSNAP) sites starting Wednesday.

DSNAP benefits are for the residents impacted by flooding due to severe weather earlier this month.

Over the weekend, Jackson, Rapides, Red River and Sabine parishes were added to the DSNAP sites.

The following DSNAP locations will be open Wednesday, Mar. 30, through Sunday, Apr. 3, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.:

Allen Parish: Allen Parish Civic Center
609 Tiger Lane, Oberlin, LA 70655
    
Ascension Parish: Lamar Dixon Expo Center Gym Building
9039 S. St. Landry Ave, Gonzales, LA 70737
    
Calcasieu Parish: VFW Hall, 2292 LA-109,
Vinton, LA 70668
    
Jackson Parish: Jackson Parish Police Jury Fain Building
320 6th St., Jonesboro, LA 71251
    
Rapides Parish: Alexandria Mega Shelter,
8125 Hwy 71 South, Alexandria, LA 71302
    
Red River Parish: Department of Children and Family Services
5040 Cutoff Road, Coushatta, LA 71019
    
Sabine Parish: Many Fire Department
1710 San Antonio Avenue, Many, LA 71449

Applicants and anyone who pre-registered for benefits should go to a DSNAP location only on one of the days indicated by the first letter of their last name. Applicants who are unable to visit a site on their designated day should go on one of the final days specified.

    Wednesday, Mar. 30 - A-F
    Thursday, Mar. 31 - G-N
    Friday, Apr. 1 - O-Z
    Saturday, Apr. 2 - A-K (applicants unable to make prior scheduled day)
    Sunday, Apr. 3 - L-Z (applicants unable to make prior scheduled day)

DCFS is encouraging residents to pre-register for DSNAP benefits online at www.dcfs.la.gov/dsnap

All who pre-register will have to provide the following information:
- Name, Social Security Number, and Date of Birth for each household member
- Current address and parish of household
- Monthly income for each household member
- All liquid assets for each household member (cash on hand, checking, savings)
- The information will be kept securely on file and will be confidential.

Pre-registration does not guarantee benefits, but is designed to save time and prevent applicants from coming to the site only to find out that they do not have the right information needed to apply.

DCFS issued more than $19.1 million last week in food benefits to over 51,000 households in 23 parishes. DCFS denied benefits to 4,900 applicants, which was 8.6 percent out of the total applicants at the 25 DSNAP sites.

"DSNAP is a federal program that allows us to get food quickly to eligible disaster victims who don't already receive regular SNAP benefits. In Louisiana, there are many residents who could fall into this category. We are doing our best to ensure only those residents who have truly been impacted by the floods receive aid," DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters said.

The 23 parishes included in the March 21-26 DSNAP operation were: Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, DeSoto, Claiborne, Grant, LaSalle, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Richland, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Union, Vernon, Washington, Webster, West Carroll, and Winn.