Thousands of low-income Oregon families are missing out on crucial food assistance this summer, leaving money on the table that could help alleviate hunger for their children. The Department of Human Services revealed that while 320,000 children have already received extra food assistance through the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program for Children (Summer EBT), another 30,000 children who qualify have yet to apply.
The Summer EBT program provides a one-time payment of $120 per child to help low-income families cover food costs over the three-month summer period when children are not in school and do not have access to free meals. This additional assistance complements existing programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and has proven to be effective in reducing child hunger. In fact, a pilot run of the program in Oregon showed a one-third decrease in child hunger, according to Iván Hernández, a spokesman for the Oregon Food Bank.
One of the key benefits of the Summer EBT program is that it allows households to purchase foods of their choice from retailers like grocery stores or farmers’ markets, eliminating the need for children to travel to summer meal sites that may not meet their dietary needs or preferences. This flexibility ensures that kids have access to culturally appropriate and nutritious food during the summer months.
Despite the success of the program, the Oregon Food Bank estimates that one in five children in the state faces hunger, while Feeding America suggests it may be even higher at one in six. To address this issue, Oregon officials applied for the Summer EBT program earlier this year, and the Legislature agreed to cover half of the administrative costs, totaling about $13 million over two years.
Families who are already enrolled in SNAP, the Oregon Health Plan, Medicaid, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) have already received automatic $120 payments. However, there are additional children who qualify for the program, including those in foster care, enrolled in certain school meal programs, migrant programs, homeless, Head Start, or participating in food distribution programs on Native American reservations.
Department of Human Services officials are actively reaching out to families that qualify for the program, either by adding the payments to SNAP cards or mailing debit cards with the funds. Importantly, the application process does not require information on a child’s or family’s immigration status, and enrollment in the program does not impact immigration status or trigger the public charge rule, which can deny visas or legal residency to families lacking economic resources.
Families can check if they have received the benefits by reviewing their EBT card, and the deadline to apply for the program is September 2nd. By ensuring that all eligible families apply for and receive the Summer EBT benefits, Oregon can make significant strides in reducing child hunger and supporting low-income households during the summer months.
