MANKATO — A new federal summer program will provide eligible families with school-aged children access to grocery assistance starting in the next couple of weeks.
Mankato school district Nutrition Services Director Darcy Stueber said the new electronic benefit transfer, or EBT, card program fills a gap now that a similar pandemic-era program has ended.
“It’s for families to again bridge that gap to buy groceries when the students are home over the summer,” Stueber said.
The program will provide qualified households $40 per child per month, $120 total, on an EBT card.
Benefits can be used at retailers such as grocery stores and farmers markets to purchase healthy food such as fruits, vegetables, meats, whole grains and dairy.
Most qualified families will get these benefits automatically, but some parents will need to apply, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services website.
Qualification for the program is linked to eligibility for educational benefits, formerly known as free and reduced meals, according to the Mankato district, and families already approved for those benefits will automatically benefit from the summer program.
Students also can receive summer EBT benefits if they are directly certified through programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Minnesota Family Investment Program, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, Foster Care or Medicaid.
Anybody who’s currently qualified will start seeing that money in June, Stueber said.
If they are not qualified and want to get onto the program, they would see that money later in the summer.
Households will need to contact their school or school district to get an application if they are not automatically enrolled, according to the state.
The program is in addition to summer meals that the district provides.
“This is a benefit for them to use at home. The school district will also have sites open for meals for breakfast and lunch this summer Monday through Friday,” Stueber said, adding the district will share more information about that program soon.