Lee County Government and the School District of Lee County are collaborating to provide free public transportation to the state’s Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) event happening this weekend at the Lee Civic Center in North Fort Myers. (See Department of Children and Families’ news release below.)

Lee County residents should pre-register online at “http://MyFLFamilies.com/DSNAP” rel=”noopener noreferrer” target=”_blank”>MyFLFamilies.com/DSNAP. When the event occurs 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday, those who want to ride a bus can visit one of 15 pickup points throughout the county to ride the free shuttle to the site. The buses will be LeeTran vehicles on Friday and school buses on Saturday and Sunday. All participating buses will be identified with a “D-SNAP” sign and will provide transport to and from the designated pickup points.

It’s important that shuttle-bus riders note the number of the bus they take to the Civic Center, as they will have to ride that same numbered bus to return to the correct pickup point.

The 15 pickup point locations include six stops on Pine Island, which does not typically have traditional LeeTran service. Other points include: Coconut Point Mall, Constitution & US 41, Fort Myers Beach Park & Ride, Sanibel Tanger Outlets, Edison Mall, Rosa Parks Transfer Center, two Publix locations (Lehigh Acres at Homestead Road, and Cape Coral at Santa Barbara and Pine Island Road), Cape Coral Transfer Center, and Merchants Crossing.

A map of pickup points with street addresses and scheduling information is at www.leegov.com/leetran/dsnap.

Schedules for the shuttles will vary, depending on the number of buses available and traffic conditions. On Saturday and Sunday, school buses are expected to circulate in 30-minute intervals. Shuttle riders can call LeeTran customer service at 239-533-8726 to check the status of a D-SNAP vehicle.

DCF Announces On-site D-SNAP Location and Additional Phone Option in Lee County

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Department of Children and Families (DCF) Secretary Shevaun Harris announced two opportunities for Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) in Lee County. On Monday, Dec. 5 through Wednesday, Dec. 7 and Sunday, Dec. 11, there will be an additional phone D-SNAP event for Lee County residents, and on Friday, Dec. 9 through Sunday, Dec. 11, applicants who are unable to complete their interview during the phone event will be able to complete their in-person interview on-site. D-SNAP provides food assistance for individuals and families impacted by Hurricane Ian and who are not receiving food assistance benefits through the regular Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

“The Department is committed to providing ongoing support for those impacted by Hurricane Ian for as long as it takes” said Secretary Shevaun Harris. During the Department’s initial D-SNAP phone event that occurred in Lee county in October, we were able to approve benefits for about 30,000 households. We are excited to be able to offer another phone event in Lee county, in addition to the in-person event scheduled the week of December 5th. The phone process is simple, saves time, and avoids applicants from having to attend in-person.”

DCF will reopen pre-registration for individuals who reside in this county and did not previously pre-register online or complete their phone interview before October 16. We encourage individuals to pre-register online before coming on-site or calling the D-SNAP Call Center to complete their interview. Online pre-registration will be available at www.myflfamilies.com/dsnap from on Monday, Dec. 5 through Wednesday, Dec. 7 and Friday, Dec. 9 through Sunday, Dec. 11.

D-SNAP Dates and Times:

Phone Interview

Pre-register online: MyFLFamilies.com/DSNAP

Call: 888-348-0408 or 855-278-7136

Date: Dec. 5-7, Dec. 11

Hours: 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Applicants will need to call the D-SNAP call center:Wednesday, Dec. 7 and Sunday, Dec. 11

On-Site Location

Lee County – Lee County Civic Center

Hours: 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.

• Current SNAP recipients are not eligible for D-SNAP and should not attend the on-site D-SNAP location.

• Applicants who were approved during the telephone interview for D-SNAP will receive their EBT card by mail and should not attend the on-site D-SNAP location.

• Households that do not live or work in Lee County will not be served at this on-site D-SNAP location.

DCF will open D-SNAP locations in each county that has been approved for D-SNAP. On-site locations and dates for each county will be announced as they open. D-SNAP is not available at Disaster Recovery Centers or DCF’s Family Resource Support Centers.