AGA Magazine Issue 2 Proof

Tribal Organizations to provide food dollars to low income families with school-age children over the summer months. This program, officially called Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT), will help close the summer hunger gap when kids are on summer break and not getting nutritious school meals. Summer EBT, which will provide benefits to families to purchase food at retail

locations, bridges that gap, particularly among our most vulnerable and rural communities. Summer Meals combined with Summer EBT is an effective recipe to meet children’s nutritional needs during the summer. Summer EBT will allow for more access to nutritious food and convenience for the family. Summer EBT benefits will come in the form of pre loaded cards that families can use to purchase groceries.

Beginning in the summer of 2025 for Alabama, families will receive $40 per eligible child, per month. These benefits work together with other available FNS nutrition assistance programs, such as Summer Meals, SNAP, and WIC, to help ensure kids have consistent access to critical nutrition when school is out. The federal government provides 100% of the money for food assistance, which equates to $62.7 million for the state of Alabama to over 545,000 children.

ALABAMA GROCER |7