BY: CLARA BATES
Missouri Independent
Missouri has begun issuing federal food benefits that could reach 475,000 kids this summer.
The first batch of Missouri’s summer food benefits for children was issued on Thursday night, a spokesperson for the Department of Social Services told The Independent Friday. Each eligible child will receive a one-time benefit of $120, loaded onto a card that can be used like a debit card to buy groceries.
The program is designed to help low-income families pay for food during summer months. States pay 50% of the administrative costs and the federal government pays 100% of the benefits.
It’s part of a permanent federal program in its second year of existence called Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer, or SUN Bucks. The program aims to help kids who receive subsidized school meals avoid a summer drop-off in nutrition.
The state in years past has struggled to get the benefits out to cover the summer months. Last year they didn’t begin going out until September, due to technical issues, the state said at the time.
Food security advocates in the state were relieved when Missouri opted into the program after weighing factors like technology issues and staffing.
There were 11 Republican-led states that opted not to offer the program this year, and a 12th, Oklahoma, will offer it only to tribal nations.
Most eligible families in Missouri will receive the benefits automatically.
The following groups of kids are automatically eligible, and their families will not need to apply for benefits:
- Students who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch during the school year,
- Households already enrolled in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or temporary assistance,
- And children between ages 7 and 17 in foster care, who are experiencing homelessness or are migrants.
Those benefits will be issued on an existing card if the family is enrolled in SNAP benefits or temporary assistance, or on a new mailed card if they are not. Families who need a new EBT card can request one by phone or the ebtEDGE mobile app.
Families who are not automatically eligible must submit an application online by Aug. 31. The state’s eligibility navigator will tell families whether they must apply.
Benefits will expire 122 days after they are issued, regardless of usage, so families must act quickly once the benefits are distributed. They should also keep the cards for next summer’s program, the state’s website advises.
An estimated 475,000 Missouri kids could receive the benefits, according to a letter to the state from the federal Food and Nutrition Service earlier this year.
