KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas and Virginia are the latest states to receive approval to participate in a new U.S. Department of Agriculture program aimed at providing food assistance to families with children eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
The Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer, or EBT, is a supplemental food program available to SNAP participants and other eligible households, that will help offset the cost of meals that normally would have been provided by schools.
According to USDA figures, roughly 45% of children at Kansas schools that participate in SNAP — or 234,000 kids — are eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Wisconsin previously have been granted approval to operate the Pandemic EBT program.
Under the new federal program, states can submit a plan to the USDA to fill in the gap left by school closures.
Once approved, “State agencies may operate Pandemic EBT when a school is closed for at least five consecutive days during a public health emergency designation during which the school would otherwise be in session,” according to USDA guidelines.