Summer program helps feed hungry students

Families in need of food for their school-aged children may qualify for a summer program that many aren’t aware exists.

The Oregon Department of Human Services’ Summer EBT provides eligible families $120 per child for groceries when school is out, in an attempt to support youths who lose access to food programs offered at school.

“June has long marked a time when kids no longer have easy access to breakfast and lunch at school,” said Sammi Teo, public policy advocate at the Oregon Food Bank. “Many parents and caregivers must come up with at least 10 additional meals per week, per child.”

“Summer EBT helps bridge the hunger gap during the summer,” Teo added.

Eligible children must:

Attend a school participating in the national school lunch or breakfast programsBe in households with incomes at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level

To learn more, visit the website in English: oregon.gov/odhs/food/pages/sebt.aspx; or Spanish: oregon.gov/odhs/es/alimentos/Pages/ebt-de-verano.aspx. You can also call 833-673-7328 with assistance in several languages.

Applications can be completed online in English: online.oresebt.com/ApplicationRegistration/Index; or Spanish: online.oresebt.com/ApplicationRegistration/Index.

The deadline to apply is Sept. 2. If approved, families will have 122 days to use the benefits before they expire. That means if benefits were issued on June 28, they would have until Oct. 28 to use the Summer EBT.

“Summer Meals keep students connected to proper nutrition so they can stay active and engaged while classes are out, and its why Oregon jumped at the chance to provide Summer EBT to eligible families this year,” said Dr. Charlene Williams, ODE Director. “Giving our families more access to groceries during the summer means students will show up for the first day of class ready to learn."

More families are leaning on various organizations to help with food insecurity. Last year there were 1.9 million visits to food assistance sites across the Oregon Food Bank Network, a 14% increase from the previous year and a record number of visits.

Hunger remains a persistent problem. Feeding America reports that 1 in 6 children in Oregon face hunger.

“There are many people who still don’t know about the program,” said Jesus Mendoza Jr., USDA FNS Western Region administrator. “We learned this program does help address food insecurity for children during the summer months.”