The Alabama Department of Human Resources has received federal approval to distribute funds to eligible families with children in the National School Lunch Program.
An estimated 485,000 children will receive benefits from the Summer Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer, according to a release from DHR.
While the National School Lunch Program helps to feed children in the program by providing free and reduced price meals at school, the Summer P-EBT benefit will give eligible families $391 for each child in the program.
These funds will help families buy meals during the summer when children participating in the National School Lunch Program cannot access their free and reduced price meals at school.
DHR expects these benefits to be sent out later this summer.
“Hunger doesn’t take a summer break,” said Alabama DHR Commissioner Nancy Buckner in a press release. “These Summer P-EBT benefits will provide financial flexibility and promote continued food security for students as they transition between school years.”
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This year the Summer P-EBT benefits are limited to individuals participating in the National School Lunch Program by application or through either the Community Eligibility Provision or Provision 2 school, according to the release.
Families with questions about eligibility or families that would like to become eligible should contact the schools their children attend. To become eligible for Summer P-EBT, individuals must first apply for the National School Lunch Program through their local school no later than Aug. 31.
The P-EBT benefits can also be used to purchase food items eligible through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, at stores that accept Electronic Benefit Transfer cards, according to the release.
DHR said households with eligible students who have received P-EBT benefits previously will access Summer P-EBT benefits on their existing EBT cards, while those who are new to the program will receive EBT cards in the mail.
Recipients are encouraged to keep their cards in case additional benefits are available in the future.
Updates and information about the timeframe for the arrival of benefits can be found on dhr.alabama.gov.
Support specialists are available to answer questions about P-EBT by phone at 1-800-410-5827 and online at dhr.alabama.gov/food-assistance/ from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Local school programs
Opelika, Auburn and Lee County schools will also be providing assistance to families during the summer through different programs.
Opelika City Schools will be offering free summer meals for breakfast and lunch Monday through Thursday.
Meals will be available at Jeter Primary School and Opelika High School between 8 a.m. and 12 noon each week until July 21. Both sites will be closed on June 20 and the week of July 4.
Becky Brown, public relations coordinator for Opelika City Schools, said the meals are available to any child 18 years old or younger and they do not have to be a student at Opelika City Schools.
“You do have to eat in the cafeteria. It’s not grab-and-go like it’s been during COVID,” Brown said. “Now it’s resumed its original format.”
OCS will also be providing instructional programs over the summer, using both COVID funds and local funds.
“The goal with our summer programs is to help fill the learning gaps created during the COVID pandemic,” Brown said.
EL Camp at Opelika Middle School has already been completed, which is a program that focuses on English Language Learners, helps with language skills and provides enrichment activities, Brown said. EL Camp for grades K-2 will be held at Carver Primary from July 11-21.
The Summer Reading Camp, which focuses on reading and includes enrichment activities, is for grades K-3 at Jeter Primary School from June 6-30. Brown said there are about 160 children attending the program.
Opelika High School-Activities at OHS has a wide range of programs including Philanthropy 101, Driver’s Ed, Tutoring, ACT Tutoring and Credit Recovery. Brown said many of these programs are offered each summer.
Auburn City Schools website provides families with a summer meals locator to find programs and summer meals nearby through the USDA website.
“Families with summer food assistance needs may call the Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-Hungry and will be referred to facilities to assist with food needs in our community. For additional information, please visit the Break for a Plate website at www.breakforaplate.com,” the ACS website said.
Lee County Schools will be offering free breakfast and lunch to children 18 years old and younger on certain days until June 30 at school lunchrooms including: Beauregard Elementary School Beauregard High School, Beulah Elementary School, Loachapoka High School, Smiths Station High School, East Smiths Station Elementary.
Breakfast will be served from 7:45 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. CST and lunch will be served from 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. CST during the following dates: June 6-10, June 13-17, June 21-24 and June 27-30.
LCS said transportation must be provided to and from the location for the children unless they are enrolled in the summer program at these sites.
