By Caroline Croland
For families with children in Georgia, school closures this spring have significantly disrupted daily lives and caused instability. The pandemic has proven particularly devastating, however, for families who rely on free or reduced school meals to feed their children throughout the week.
In Georgia, 1.1 million children under the age of 18 are threatened with food insecurity as a result of COVID-19 school closures.
With schools closed from March to May and uncertain re-opening plans ahead, many food-insecure families find themselves responsible for an additional ten or more meals per week per child. And while some school districts have been able to provide and distribute meals during the pandemic, many have been less able to meet the needs of their lower-income students.
But there is a new relief plan from the Georgia Division of Family & Children Services (DFCS) in partnership with the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) that aims to ease some of this tremendous burden on families.
In response to the pandemic, Congress passed the Family First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020, which includes a benefit called Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) for families whose children received free or reduced-price school meals in the 2019-2020 school year, but were unable to access those meals due to school closures. The purpose of this program is to provide the value of two daily school meals to children participating in that program beginning in late July.
Georgia families with eligible children will receive benefits, via their EBT card, of up to $256.50 per child, with each household being able to apply for up to eight children.
Jennifer Owens, Senior Vice President of the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute is excited to see the program take hold in Georgia. "P-EBT is a unique opportunity that is being used throughout the county to get children access to healthy meals. This is a critical program, especially now as the recession takes hold," says Owens.
Owens volunteers at a local food bank and encounters families who are used to relying on school meals and who are now subsisting off half a carton of eggs for the week. “The need is dire, and that is why it is so important for community organizations to get the word out about this program,” she says.
Beginning the last week in July, any family who already receives SNAP benefits will have their benefits loaded automatically to their EBT card.
Families who are on free and reduced lunch but do not participate in the SNAP program must apply through DFCS at dfcs.georgia.gov/pandemic-electronic-benefit-transfer to receive their benefits. Families will be required to enter the student’s Georgia Testing ID (GTID), also known as the student ID number, when applying for benefits. This number can be found on their child's report card or obtained from their local school district. Once an application is submitted, the cards will arrive by mail within 3-4 weeks.
Officials are urging families to apply for these benefits as soon as possible, as the state is required to pay out these benefits until September 30. These benefits last 365 days from the time that they are issued.
Lauren Waits, Policy Advisor at the Atlanta Community Food Bank has been working to get the word out about the program. "Food banks have seen such a dramatic increase in need due to COVID. We are working hard to convey the urgency of applying for these benefits" Waits says. "The problem is real, and we hope that families provide their information so that they can claim this money as soon as possible."
It is important to note that in families whose children are in Community Eligibility Program (CEP) school systems--where all attending students receive meals—are automatically eligible to receive these benefits.
It's also important to note that these benefits are available to all students receiving free and reduced lunch, regardless of citizenship status. "Congress designed this program so that the use of P-EBT will never count against the public charge requirement or hinder anyone in their path to citizenship," says Waits.
Families receiving P-EBT benefits will be able to use these benefits wherever SNAP benefits are accepted, including select local farmers markets. “Providing families directly with SNAP benefits will give them the opportunity to go to farmers markets and stretch those dollars further while give them more diverse choices and nutritious offerings than a food pantry would typically provide,” Owens states.
When speaking to Suzanne Girdner, who leads the Georgia Food Oasis program, she emphasizes that P-EBT relief fills a deep void in pandemic support for families:
“This important because our families had very little support on addressing meal gaps and had to quickly come up with 10-20 additional meals a week with school closures during March-May; GA is finally recognizing and honoring these families’ challenges and provided the belated or back-dated support they needed, frankly, in Spring. This comes at a time that families undoubtedly continue to need help with school start delays and this will help them fill critical meal gaps they continue to face.”
Girdner adds, “For us this is also a great way for families to get more nutrient dense foods via local farmers markets, produce boxes that accept and/or double SNAP which is exactly what young developing minds and bodies need to thrive.”
On the topic of these benefits being applied to secure food grown by Georgia farmers and sold at Georgia farmers markets, we also spoke to Wholesome Wave GA about their critical work ensuring EBT/P-EBT dollars work doubly hard at Georgia farmers markets, nourishing SNAP shoppers with the most nutritious, locally-grown food possible.
For this new episode of The Georgia Foodcast, we spoke to Will Sellers, Sarah Moore, and Emme Raus of Wholesome Wave Georgia about both P-EBT and their other pandemic-focused work.
Wholesome Wave GA has led the charge in ensuring that families receiving SNAP benefits—also including P-EBT participants—can double the value on their EBT cards at 68 different farmers markets across Georgia throughout the Georgia Fresh for Less program. They also provide direct, personal help for those applying for SNAP benefits for the first time, which has included a huge influx of Georgians with jobs eliminated or furloughed due to the COVID-19 economic recession. For more information on first-time application to the SNAP, click here.
Click below for the full conversation.
Kimberly Della Donna, Georgia Organics’ Farm to School Director, accurately summarized how this pandemic relief is vital for both families and will also help farmers, and can hopefully foster connection during this challenging time:
"P-EBT is a critical strategy to support students nutrition during COVID-related school closures. We're especially excited about the option families have to use the benefit at local farmers markets and farm stands, where they can support small farmers, make community connections and learn about Georgia's local food and agriculture systems."
If you do not already receive SNAP benefits and seek to learn more and apply for P-EBT, visit dfcs.georgia.gov/pandemic-electronic-benefit-transfer. For additional COVID-19 information for Georgia families and individuals, visit gafcp.org/coronavirus/.
Caroline Croland is the Fundraising Coordinator at Georgia Organics. To learn more about Georgia Organics, visit www.georgiaorganics.org and follow us on Instagram @GeorgiaOrganics, Twitter @GeorgiaOrganics, and at www.Facebook.com/GeorgiaOrganics.