Application deadline for KS families to get grocery assistance is extended

TOPEKA (KSNT) - The application deadline for a federal program to help families offset costs of buying food for school-aged kids is getting an extension.

The Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) is extending the application deadline for its 2024 Summer EBT program, according to a news release from DCF. The program launched in the Sunflower State in May, 2024.

It is a partnership between DCF, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service and the Kansas Department of Education to provide families a one-time $120 for each eligible child to buy groceries during the summer.

“While Summer EBT is intended to help offset the cost of food during summer break when kids don’t have access to the free or reduced-price meals they get at school, even with children already back in class the program can still provide families with a little extra help in putting food on their tables,” DCF Secretary Laura Howard said. “We hope that by extending the application deadline, more families with eligible children will have the opportunity to apply for this year’s Summer EBT benefit.”

The state has pushed the application deadline back to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. People can apply through the DCF online self-service portal.

Eligibility guidelines are the following: The child attended a Kansas school offering the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Program, and the household income met the requirements for free or reduced-price school meals at any point during the 2023-24 school year or the school-aged child (7-17 years old) received food assistance, TANF, and/or foster care benefits at any point during the 2023-24 school year. (Summer EBT benefits were auto-issued to these households in July 2024.)

According to the news release, about 117,200 students have received the $120 Summer EBT benefit through an auto-insurance since July, 2024. DCF has taken in more than 2,000 applications.

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