The benefit comes from the Coronavirus Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer or P-EBT, a federally created program covering meal expenses for students who typically received free meals when in school but were learning remotely due to the pandemic. This is the third round of food benefits for public school families across the state since the pandemic began in March 2020, with the state sending more than $3.4 billion to families since then, officials said.īecause New York City is a universal free lunch district, all public school students are eligible to receive P-EBT regardless of their household income. Families are also eligible regardless of immigration status. The food benefits will automatically be distributed to all households with eligible school-age children in the same manner they received their P-EBT benefits for the past two school years. (Families should keep their cards after the money is used because new iterations of the program might still be approved.) For those who typically receive food benefits, the money will be added to their regular cards for others, the funds will be automatically loaded on P-EBT cards they received in the mail in 2020 or 2021. The benefits can be used to purchase eligible food items in stores that accept them and are available for at least 274 days from the date they were issued. Some eligible students have yet to receive benefits for logistical reasons, such having an incorrect address on file or incomplete information from a school, according to a spokesperson from the state’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), which oversees the disbursements. “It’s been hugely important to help families stay afloat during this crisis,” said Liz Accles of Community Food Advocates, a New York-based nonprofit focused on food access. “Most New York City public school students are in families who are struggling to make ends meet. FOOD STAMPS NYC FOR FREEĪnd there are many more that are right above the federal eligibility for free or reduced price meals, given the cost of living in New York City.”Īccording to the city’s education department, 73% of public school students are economically disadvantaged. “School meals are one of the biggest, most far-reaching anti-hunger programs. If kids access two meals a day, that’s 40 meals a month for each child in the household,” Accles said.Ī recent survey of more than 600 families conducted by Change Research and No Kid Hungry found that 58% of adults with children in New York City schools have struggled to eat healthy and nutritious food over the past 12 months. The same survey found that 43% worried a member of their household would not have enough food to eat. More than a third of respondents had to skip a meal. New York City schools will provide free meals this summer to anyone ages 18 and under at select campuses starting on June 28. Research has shown that food insecurity is higher during the summer months, when many children do not receive their regular free meals at school.īut historically, families in need have not fully taken advantage of the program.
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