How the Summer EBT program will help struggling families

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — A new program to feed school-age kids throughout their summer break kicks off soon with the Summer EBT Program.

Summer vacation doesn’t always spell fun and relief from homework. For many families, it brings anxiety without the guarantee of school meals.

“Child hunger is not only prevalent in New York, it’s on the rise,” said Krista Hesdorfer, director of public affairs for Hunger Solutions New York. “So right now, nearly one in five kids in New York State are struggling with food insecurity.”

Families can apply July 1 for the $120 grocery credit per child.

“Anytime we have the opportunity to extend the free and reduce meals from the school year to the summer to lessen the financial burden for the families, it’s a win-win for everyone,” said Scott Ziobrowski, the director of food service for the Hilton Central School District.

This comes just in time for families in the Hilton Central School District since the district doesn’t qualify yet for the funding to provide summer meals.

“I know there’s a lot of families like single parent families who work and maybe their kids — you know maybe lessen the blow of taking a second job to raise that money and feed the family,” Scott said.

For any family already enrolled in existing programs like SNAP and free and reduced school meals, their letters and instructions are already on the way since they’ve been automatically enrolled in Summer EBT.

“That’s helpful for families, because who wants to submit an application for a program if you don’t need to, but it also helps to make sure that the state’s resources are being used efficiently. If we already have families submitting applications for programs, like SNAP or temporary assistance for school meals where they are submitting very similar information, it’s helpful to just transfer that information over.”

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