Pandemic SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) is designed to help replace the cost of meals incurred by families as a result of the State closing schools on March 15 due to the public health emergency created by the coronavirus. Read on for more information about the program by clicking here: Your email address will not be published. A: The benefits on this card are available to your household in place of the meals that your child did not get because of the school closures. “We are happy to partner with the Department of Education as it works to help students and their families who have depended on the free lunch program for nutritious meals,” said DHS Secretary Cindy Gillespie. Arkansas Department of Human Services The families have 12 months to use the benefit made available through this program. If your child still has not received a P-EBT card, please send an email to
[email protected] including the information below: A couple of other important things to remember: Arkansas has been approved to provide benefits for families whose children were enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program at school at the time the Governor declared a public health emergency and closed schools. A: Here is the link to the retailers that accept SNAP. All Rights Reserved. DHS Chief of Communications A: No. Save the date for: Still Serving Up Solutions! Race, Hunger, and COVID-19: The impact on Latino/a communities, NAHO Denounces Death of George Floyd and Underlying Structural Racism. You must update your address by June 15 for Pandemic SNAP. (501) 682-1001, TTY: 1-800-285-1131 or dial 711 for Arkansas Relay Service. SNAP is designed to increase the limited food purchasing power of low- income Households and thus alleviate hunger and malnutrition. Electronic benefits transfer payment cards worth hundreds of dollars are in the mail this month to qualifying families for food purchases, which Arkansas child and family advocates say will help fill a major gap caused by the shuttering of school-based free … It depends on what pre-k they attend and whether that pre-k is enrolled in the National School Lunch Program. Your email address will not be published. It is only updated with DHS for Pandemic SNAP. DHS worked with ADE to identify the 303, 120 students in Arkansas who qualify for free or reduced lunches. If you’re a current SNAP household with children, or a non-SNAP household with children who are currently enrolled in their school’s free and reduced-price meals program, you are automatically enrolled in Pandemic EBT. A: Yes. Also, check out the food access map created by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture here, Arkansas Department of Human Services This benefit typically does not include homeschooled students, daycare centers, outpatient behavioral health or day treatment centers, occupational health service, or early intervention learning centers. All Rights Reserved. Pandemic-EBT As part of its mid-March coronavirus rescue package, Congress created the Pandemic-EBT program, which provided low-income families with money to … Arkansas has been approved to provide benefits for families whose children were enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program at school at the time the Governor declared a public health emergency and closed schools. All Rights Reserved. Pandemic SNAP provides $319 per student for missed school days in March, April, and May. They do not cover the summer or the 20-21 school year. This is for families who have students enrolled in the free or reduced lunch program, which has a different income limit than SNAP. You can find the list of food items you can purchase here. It is designed to help replace the cost of meals incurred by … You can find meal options for your children under eighteen here. If you have a question about whether your school participates, please reach out to your school. Required fields are marked *, © 2020 Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. This emergency plan provides extra food benefits to families with school-age children who would normally receive free or reduced price meals if schools were open. Division of Aging, Adult, & Behavioral Health Services, Division of Child Care & Early Childhood Education, Division of Developmental Disabilities Services, Division of Provider Services & Quality Assurance, Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, Meet the Chief Communications & Community Engagement Officer, COVID-19/Coronavirus Information for DHS Employees, School District (that child attended when schools closed in Spring). A: For each child enrolled in the free or reduced lunch program, the family will get $319. The Arkansas Department of Human Services says for each child enrolled in the free or reduced lunch program at their school, the family will get $319. Though the child’s name is on the card, the parent can use it. (LITTLE ROCK, Ark.) Read on for more information about the program by clicking here: The total cost of the Pandemic SNAP benefits in Arkansas is $96 million, which will go to grocery stores and … A: No. A: No, you do not need to be enrolled in SNAP already or eligible for the regular SNAP program. For families who are not on SNAP, ADE has provided DHS with their addresses.
[email protected], Alisha Lewis Copyright © 2020 State of Arkansas. For the families already on SNAP, the $319 will be added to the family’s electronic benefits card (EBT) during the last week of May or first week of June. Overall, low-income Arkansas families will receive a total of $96 million in Pandemic SNAP benefits. by Rebekah Hall | May 22, 2020 | Uncategorized | 0 comments.
[email protected]. A: You can buy food items and any SNAP-eligible item, see the list of food items you can purchase here. | Website by. “Obviously, there are many considerations for students when you close face-to-face instruction,” said Education Secretary Johnny Key. This is a one-time payment to help cover the costs of meals that would have been provided during the school year. “Making certain students are food secure lessens the burden on families during this time, and it is an extension of our vision to transform Arkansas to lead the nation in student-focused education.” This program is only for families that were enrolled at the time the public health emergency was declared and schools were closed. A: No. The total cost of the Pandemic SNAP benefits in Arkansas is $96 million, which will go to grocery stores and other food vendors that accept SNAP. These benefits are only to help cover higher grocery costs due to school closures in March, April, and May. A: No, you can only buy food items. ADE Director of Communications These cards will also be mailed in late June. The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 authorizes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). A: Go to www.Access.Arkansas.gov, answer the voter registration question, and then complete the application for SNAP. DHS will mail an EBT card and information about how to access benefits on the EBT card to the address ADE has on file. Arkansas’s Pandemic EBT application has been approved! If you’re a current SNAP household with children, or a non-SNAP household with children who are currently enrolled in their school’s free and reduced-price meals program, you are automatically enrolled in Pandemic EBT. DHS will mail an EBT card, information about Pandemic SNAP, and information about how to access benefits on the EBT card to the address ADE has on file. (501) 682-1001, TTY: 1-800-285-1131 or dial 711 for Arkansas Relay Service. In the last stimulus bill, Congress increased benefits by $15 billion. These are only for schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program. It is designed to help replace the cost of meals incurred by families as a result of the State closing schools. Pandemic EBT is a new program authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020. So you will get a card for each child that was enrolled. For families who are not on SNAP, the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) has given DHS their addresses. Include the following information in your email: If you are a SNAP client, you can update your address by calling Client Assistance at 1-800-482-8988 or by calling your local county office. The families do not need to apply or take any action to get these benefits as their participation in the free or reduced lunch program make them eligible for Pandemic SNAP. Not all pre-k students are eligible for this program. Arkansas is one of more than 40 states that applied for and received Pandemic Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding. Jul 06, 2020 — People who receive food stamps have seen a big boost during the pandemic. Great news! Please send us a private message for more information. This will not update your address with your school. A: Your local school district provided the address you have on file to the Department of Education, and that information was shared with DHS. Arkansas’s Pandemic EBT application has been approved! If you are already enrolled in SNAP you will see the additional benefits on your EBT card in late June. For the families already on SNAP, the $319 will be added to the family’s electronic benefits card (EBT) during the last week of May or first week of June. Enter your address and a list of nearby retailers that accept SNAP , P-SNAP, and P-EBT benefits will come up. Copyright © 2020 State of Arkansas. FRAC: Afterschool meals and programs critical part of COVID-19 recovery, Help the Alliance support low-income military families, What 501(c)(3)s can do this election season to fight food insecurity, PBS: The age-old practice of ‘gleaning’ is feeding people during the pandemic, Poverty, Hunger, Health and the Federal Food Programs: A Profile of the Southern Region, GRANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Latinx Community Grant.