The Minnesota Department of Human Services says thousands of families may still be eligible to apply for additional benefits from the Supplemental Food Assistance Program, also known as SNAP.
According to the Human Services Department, or DHS, about 200,000 families have already applied for or received, benefits under a limited-time program that ensures children don’t go hungry while not in school and not receiving school lunch.
That program is called the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer, or P-EBT, where DHS issues a lump sum of $325 per child to purchase food within a year of the date issued.
“Supplementing families’ food budgets by providing additional help to purchase healthy foods for school children is the aim of this program,” said Minnesota’s Human Services Commissioner Jodi Harpstead.
The deadline for applications is June 30 and, according to the Minnesota DHS, there are up to 150,000 more families in the state that may be eligible. They are encouraged to apply before the deadline.
Families who are already qualified have received the funds automatically on their existing EBT cards.
The Minnesota DHS says families who were receiving free or reduced meals for 2019-2020 school year — but were not receiving SNAP or Minnesota Family Investment Program benefits — need to sign up for the P-EBT card to receive the additional funds.
For more information, search Minnesota Pandemic EBT on any search engine.
The reminder was announced amid reports that Minnesota may soon experience a hunger crisis not seen since the great depression. The nation’s largest food bank, Second Harvest Heartland, is projecting that demand for food to spike in July and peak in September.
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