$224M In Food Assistance For PA Families With Young Children

HARRISBURG, PA — The Department of Human Services has begun distributing $224 million in food assistance to low-income Pennsylvania families. DHS Acting Secretary Meg Snead said that the federal funding, provided through the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer program, will aid families of about 223,000 Pennsylvania children.

The P-EBT program was first approved on May 6 of last year, to cover the costs of meals that children might have received in childcare or school settings that had closed — temporarily or permanently — due to the pandemic.

The school programs plan and childcare programs plan for this year were approved on March 10 and April 9. In collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the DHS is already distributing more than $1 billion in P-EBT benefits to eligible families of nearly 1 million school-age children. But the funding distribution announced on Wednesday will benefit families of younger children specifically.

“The P-EBT program has been a lifeline to Pennsylvania families with children, so many of whom have struggled to cover the unanticipated costs of breakfasts and lunches normally provided to their children at school or in child care settings,” Snead said. “I hope these benefits are a helpful boost to families of young children who, like all Pennsylvanians, are emerging from an unprecedented crisis.”

Families with young children are eligible for P-EBT benefits if the child is a member of a household that received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits; if the child is age five or younger; and if at least one school in the county of residence or any contiguous county is determined to be operating on either a virtual or a hybrid schedule.

These new eligibility rules come after the department received approval from the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in late April to extend P-EBT benefit eligibility. The change opened benefits to families with children ages five and younger who had received SNAP benefits between October 1, 2020 and May 31, 2021.

The benefit amount for each family is issued for the period of time enrolled in SNAP, and depends on which county the family lives in. Children residing in counties or neighboring a county where schools are operating 100 percent virtually will receive 100 percent of the benefit, while children in counties that are operating in a hybrid format will receive 65 percent of the benefit level.

These levels will be re-evaluated throughout the summer, the DHS said. Full P-EBT benefits are equal to $6.82 per day that the child is eligible for P-EBT: $2.26 for breakfast, $0.96 for a snack and $3.60 for lunch.

"Food is a critical building block that fuels a child’s growth and development," said Secretary of Education Noe Ortega. "The P-EBT program bridges gaps and removes barriers created by the pandemic to help prevent hunger and ensure children continue to have access to meals.”

The state estimates that benefits will be distributed in three phases, with the first already underway. The second will in late June or early July, and the third will begin in mid-August.

The benefit will be received on the household’s regular EBT card, the DHS said, with no application necessary. All eligible families will also receive a letter directly from the department.

Families of eligible school-age children should receive their P-EBT benefits on their regular EBT cards, or on cards mailed to them, by June 30. Any children who qualify for both programs will receive one benefit through the schools program.

Read more about food insecurity in Pennsylvania on the Department of Agriculture website. For more information on assistance programs available to Pennsylvanians, visit www.dhs.pa.gov.