When the food runs out, what’s next? : Florida families worry about delayed summer P-EBT benefits

ORLANDO, Fla. — Local families who rely on extra help like the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfers, or P-EBT, should prepare to see delays in receiving those funds.

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The program is supposed to give an extra boost to children that receive free or reduced lunch in the state, making up for the lunches they’ll miss when not going to school in the summer.

In Orange County, 67% of students qualify for P-EBT.

Last year, this program helped over 2 million people in Florida.

But, it arrived late; what was meant to help families through the summer months ended up being there in September.

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Tacara Thomas, a local mother, now has to get creative to put food on the table for her kids.

“All we can afford to get is chicken, so all we really eat is chicken,” she said.

Thomas relied on the past couple of years in the Pandemic Summer EBT program. Now feeding six children between her and her partner is a challenging job.

“(The program) helps push through times when the stamps are running out,” she said. “We do have times when the food runs out at the end of the month, and we’re looking like, okay, what’s next?”

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In the past, P-EBT cards have given a maximum amount of $390 for each child.

This year, parents like Thomas will only get a third of that, $120 for each child.

“That will let us get a case of eggs, maybe some chicken for the whole month,” she said.

But why is the amount considerably lower this year?

Florida was one of the last states to submit a plan for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which means now it is at the back of the line to receive the money.

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Vanessa Brito is an activist who has helped people navigate through the state’s programs since the beginning of the pandemic.

“People used the summer P-EBT really for Thanksgiving,” she said.

Brito is concerned that the system is overburdened, and now it will only get worse for struggling families, forcing people like Thomas to seek help from every avenue possible.

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“I go to food banks -- that helps,” Thomas said. “I have a neighbor that works with a church, and she’ll say, hey, here is some extra food and some vegetables.”

The program will be permanent from here on out, but parents need to have their children signed up and approved for free or reduced lunch through the National School Lunch Program.

Click here to sign up. The deadline is June 1st.

Watch: When the food runs out, what’s next? : Florida families worry about delayed summer P-EBT benefits

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