(AP Photo/Alison Dinner, File)
BOSTON (WWLP) – Massachusetts will be helping families this summer by providing financial assistance to help pay for food for children who are out of school.
Summer-EBT is a federally funded child nutrition program that provides meals to up to 600,000 Massachusetts children during the summer. Low-income families with school-age children are eligible for the program, which provides subsidies for food purchases.
“In Massachusetts, we are not wasting federal funds that could support food security for children and families. We worked with the Legislature to make free school meals permanent, and with this new program we are working to ensure children and families have access to healthy food all year round,” said Governor Maura Healey. “I thank the Biden-Harris Administration and Congress for making this child nutrition program permanent. Massachusetts is proud to be using all the tools available to ensure kids can focus on learning and playing, not where their next meal is coming from.”
Families will receive one payment of $120 per child between July and September, averaging about $40 per month. Families already enrolled in SNAP, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF, known in Massachusetts as Transitional Assistance for Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC)), or some MassHealth plans are automatically enrolled in the program and do not need to take any additional action. Families not enrolled in these programs but interested in the Summer EBT program should apply on DTA Connect between June 15 and September 7.
“Contrary to popular belief, hunger is often most severe in the summer when children are out of school and don’t have access to school lunches,” said Rep. Jim McGovern.
“Many students rely on the breakfast and lunch they receive at school for nutrition and energy,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh. “This new child nutrition program will ensure every child in Massachusetts has access to nutritious food all year round, including over summer break.”
A total of $70 million in federal funding will help cover the costs of this summer’s program, which follows the end of the Summer Pandemic EBT program, which helped families in need of food assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The “Summer Eats” program will return this year, offering free summer meals to all children and teens. Locations for the program have yet to be announced.
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