USDA APPROVES ORLEANS PARISH FOR DISASTER FOOD STAMPS

Monday, Sept 3 - The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service today approved the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) in nine parishes: Ascension, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. John the Baptist and St. Tammany.The program, formerly called Disaster Food Stamps, provides food assistance for eligible households who do not receive regular SNAP benefits and who need help buying groceries due to lost income or damages following a disaster.

To help expedite the application process, individuals should pre-apply for DSNAP prior to Wednesday, Sept 5, either online at www.dcfs.louisiana.gov/preapply  or by calling 1-888-LAHELP-U (888-524-3578) between 7 am and 11 pm. When applying by phone, select your appropriate language and then select options 3 and 3.

Disaster Food Stamps provide food assistance for eligible low- to moderate-income households that do not receive regular food stamps who need help buying groceries due to lost income or damages following a disaster. Regular SNAP households DO NOT need to pre-apply. Households that receive regular SNAP benefits in parishes where DSNAP has been activated will automatically have additional DSNAP benefits added to their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards if they are not already receiving the maximum allotment for their household size.

Read full press release here.