NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) – Families who missed the deadline to apply for Tennessee’s pandemic EBT program are another chance to get that financial assistance.
The money is meant to help qualifying families recoup the cost of food from the end of the school year after classes abruptly came to an end and kids were left at home, putting an added cost on families who were relying on free or reduced meals.
To be eligible, students must have received free or reduced meals at school or attended a Community Eligibility Provision school during the months of March, April and/or May.
Now, the department is sending pandemic EBT cards to the last school qualifying students attended in the spring for parents to pick up. Families who have not already received a card will need to provide a valid ID to the school to get theirs.
“Tennessee’s P-EBT program has already provided support to more than half of all public-school students in the state and we’re excited to give more families an opportunity to benefit,” said Tennessee Department of Human Services Commissioner Danielle W. Barnes. “Now more than ever, citizens truly are looking to us for help. By ensuring student’s nutritional needs are met, we’re enabling Tennesseans to thrive when the pandemic subsides.”
P-EBT provides parents with $5.70 in benefits per student for each day that child qualifies. These benefits can be used to purchase food at any establishment that accepts EBT or online with Amazon and Walmart.
This second opportunity for parents to receive P-EBT follows an application process that wrapped up in August with more than 500,000 children receiving benefits.
Any cards that aren’t picked up after thirty days will be returned to the state. Click here for more information.