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Summer EBT program to help hungry children

By Whitney Downard, Indiana Capital Chronicle

Posted January 8, 2024

Portrait of mother shopping in supermarket with little daughter and buying vegetables

An estimated 669,000 Hoosier children will qualify for Summer EBT, a grocery benefit designed to combat child hunger. (Seventyfour/Adobe Stock)

A growing number of states, tribal nations and territories will offer nutrition assistance permanently for the first time this summer and an estimated 669,000 Hoosier children will benefit from the program, which provides grocery benefits to families with school-aged children.

Advocates with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees the effort, believe that the Summer EBT program will reduce child hunger and benefit 29 million children once implemented nationwide.

“Summer EBT provides an unprecedented opportunity to reduce child hunger during the summer months,” said Cindy Long, administrator of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), in a release. “FNS is thrilled to see trailblazing states and tribes step up and make early commitments to expanding summer nutrition benefits for children in their communities. We look forward to working with all states and eligible tribal nations on this important effort — helping ensure children across our nation get the nutrition they need year-round.”

Thirty-three states, including Indiana, have committed to rollout benefits in the summer of 2024 by the Jan. 1 deadline. Summer EBT, authorized by a 2022 Congressional law, will give families $40 each summer month and supplement other summer nutrition programs, such as group meal services at public areas or grab-n-go and home-delivered meals in some rural communities.

The USDA said its “rigorous evaluations” of pilot programs showed that benefits “decreased the number of kids with very low food security by about one-third and supported healthier diets.”

The USDA oversees 16 food and nutrition programs, including school breakfast and lunch programs, WIC and SNAP. Combined, their nutrition programs cover one in four Americans.

Participating families in SNAP, WIC, TANF or other approved programs with school-age children will have streamlined certification as well as families with certified students in a National School Lunch/School Breakfast school program.

Indiana has a low number of schools participating in the National School Lunch/ School Breakfast program compared to the national average, 40.6% compared to 67.5%, and ranks 47th in the country. Families at participating schools who aren’t certified can apply for the Summer EBT benefits but families not at non-participating schools cannot.