Having enough food to eat is crucial for good health and well-being. Yet hunger is a persistent problem across the country and here in Oregon. Feeding America reports that 1 in 6 children in Oregon face hunger.
To help children get the food they need to thrive, the Oregon State Legislature approved the Oregon Department of Human Services and the Oregon Department of Education to offer Summer EBT this year.
With support from the US Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service, Summer EBT provides eligible families $120 per child for groceries when school is out and children lose access to food programs offered at schools.
Help Oregon spread the word -- thousands of families may be eligible for this new benefit and not know it. Thirty-seven states, all five US territories and two tribes have committed to making Summer EBT available to kids in their communities this summer.
So far, 322,500 Oregon children have received Summer EBT. This adds up to $38.7 million in federal funds that families are spending at grocery stores and farmers markets in their communities.
DHS estimates another 30,000 children in Oregon may be eligible for Summer EBT if they apply. To be eligible, children must attend a school participating in the national school lunch or breakfast programs, and reside in households with incomes at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level.
Don't delay -- the deadline to apply is September 2nd. Families have 122 days from the day they received Summer EBT food benefits before they expire.