BATON ROUGE - In an effort to shorten lines, The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is urging residents seeking to apply for DSNAP benefits to pre-register online before heading to application sites this week. 

Residents can register at the DSNAP website or by calling 1-888-524-3578 between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. 

DSNAP provides food assistance to households that need help buying groceries due to lost income or disaster damages. Regular SNAP recipients do not need to apply for DSNAP and should not go to a DSNAP site.  A family of four could get $649 worth of food stamps. 

To get DSNAP aid, residents must apply this week at designated sites in their parish. Those sites will serve DSNAP applicants on a staggered schedule based on residents' last names.

The following locations will be open Monday, Mar. 21 through Saturday, Mar. 26 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.:

Livingston Parish - Amvets Post 68, 26890 Hwy 42, Springfield

Tangipahoa  Parish - Eagle Heights Community Church, 47318 Rufus Bankston Rd., Tickfaw

Applicants should go on the following designated days, based on their last names.

Monday, Mar. 21: A-D
Tuesday, Mar. 22: E-K
Wednesday, Mar.23: L-R
Thursday, Mar. 24: S-Z
Friday, Mar. 25: A-K (applicants unable to make prior scheduled day)
Saturday, Mar. 26: L-Z (applicants unable to make prior scheduled day)

A site in Ascension Parish has not been announced since the parish was one of the last to be declared a disaster from recent flooding.  A DSNAP site could be announced in the coming days. 

Click here to view all of the locations:

DCFS announces locations to apply for disaster food stamps

Residents can view the official schedule and location information at the DCFS website.