Governor Ron Desantis approves Florida's participation in Pandemic EBT Program
A social worker with the Cooperative Feeding Program displays a Federal food stamps card that is used to purchase food on February 10, 2011 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, Fla. - Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Wednesday that Florida can participate in the USDA's Pandemic EBT program.
According to a news release, the Department of Children and Families (DCF), in partnership with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), developed the program to automatically issue benefits during the month of June to more than 2.1 million children who have temporarily lost access to free and reduced-price school meals during COVID-19-related school closures.
“I applaud President Trump and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for allowing states to identify gaps in services and develop new and needed programs that will help parents be reassured that their children will continue to receive healthy lunches although the school year is completed," said Governor DeSantis. “Throughout the public health emergency, Florida has taken a proactive approach to supporting families and ensuring they have access to critical resources and services.”
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Families eligible to receive free or reduced-priced school meals will automatically receive this benefit during the month of June.
“Under Governor DeSantis’ leadership, we continue to work closely with our state and federal partners to help Florida families overcome situations brought on by this pandemic,” said DCF Secretary Chad Poppell. “This program offers automatic relief to families while ensuring children are not hungry during this crisis and allowing parents to focus on their family’s economic recovery.
You can find more information on the program HERE.