765K Arizona children to benefit from return of pandemic nutrition program

PHOENIX — Hundreds of thousands of families are set to receive aid from the return of the Arizona pandemic nutrition benefits program.

More than $636 million in pre-loaded electronic benefits are estimated to be distributed to the households of around 765,000 children across the state to buy groceries as part of the Arizona Pandemic-EBT program.

Those receiving nutrition assistance and/or cash assistance will have the additional benefits of the pandemic nutrition program added to their existing Electronic Benefits Transfer cards, while those without an EBT card will receive a pre-loaded card.

Households do not need to apply to the program to receive the benefits, according to a press release.

Parents or guardians are urged to contact their child’s school to complete a National School Lunch Program application if yet to do so for the 2020-2021 school year.

Every child enrolled in the school lunch program in Arizona whose school is either closed or offering a full-time or part-time distance learning model due to the COVID-19 pandemic is eligible for the benefits.

A supplement is also available for children under the age of six receiving nutrition assistance benefits in Arizona as part of Child Care P-EBT for the 2020-2021 school year.

“The inclusion of children under six enrolled in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) will help ensure all families in need of assistance are able to support the nutrition of their children,” Michael Wisehart, Arizona Department of Economic Security director, said in the release.

Child Care P-EBT is being provided considering a child would have been in child care had there not been a pandemic, according to the department’s official website.

Monthly benefit amounts depend on a school’s designated learning model – excluding holidays and breaks – with aid ranging from full payment, partial payment or no payment for each month covered by the program.

DES anticipates Child Care P-EBT will begin to be distributed in March, with P-EBT for school children expected in mid-April.

Benefits will be provided to an estimated 631,000 school children covering the months of August 2020 through May 2021 and 134,000 children under the age of 6 covering the months of October 2020 through May 2021 as part of the program, according to the release.

The return of the program follows the initial launch last summer when $200 million was provided.

“The $200 million we were able to distribute last year when the Pandemic EBT program was established made an incredible impact on Arizona families,” Wisehart said in the release.

The program is a partnership between DES, the Arizona Department of Education and the USDA Food and Nutrition Service.

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