P-EBT (Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer) is a federal food assistance program created by Congress as part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. This program is open to students participating in the National School Lunch Program in public schools, charter schools, and private schools.Children enrolled in a Provision 2 or Community Eligibility Provision school lunch program as of May 1, 2023 will be eligible for the benefit without a free or reduced-price meal benefit determination.
The deadline is quickly approaching for families to become eligible to receive assistance purchasing food for their children over the summer. Eligible children must be registered for free or reduced-price school lunches by May 1, 2023, to qualify for the Summer P-EBT program.
Summer P-EBT provides a one-time payment of $120 in food/SNAP benefits per eligible student. To qualify, students must be enrolled in a school that participates in a National School Lunch Program on May 1, 2023, and be determined free or reduced-price meal eligible for the 2022-2023 school year. The one-time payment will be made at the end of July 2023.
“We know many families need support feeding their children when school is out of session. Working in partnership with the Department of Workforce Services, the Summer P-EBT program makes that a little easier. Plus, children can still take part in their local summer meal programs,” said the Utah State Board of Education’s Child Nutrition Program Coordinator, Kimberly Loveland.
Those who have questions about the program should contact their child’s school, or follow instructions from their food service program to find out if each of their children have been approved for free or reduced-price meal benefits for school year 2022-2023. Please note that if children attend multiple schools, then each school must be contacted.
More information is available at jobs.utah.gov/covid19/pebt/. Additionally, Utahns Against Hunger has a resource for contacting schools at uah.org/get-help/school-meals.
