Feeding San Diego encourages families to apply for this federal nutrition program available to over 250,000 students

San Diego CA— Feeding San Diego is encouraging families with students who were receiving free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch at school to apply for new Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) benefits. Eligible students may receive up to $365 per child for groceries while schools are closed. Qualifying students who have not yet received a P-EBT card in the mail must apply online before June 30, 2020, to get their card. To apply for P-EBT, families can visit ca.p-ebt.org/en.
“Youth hunger is at historically unprecedented levels: one in four children in San Diego County now face hunger due to the coronavirus pandemic. Feeding San Diego is doing everything possible to support youth and their families during this challenging time,” said Vince Hall, CEO of Feeding San Diego. “Many eligible students will not automatically receive P-EBT benefits, but this public benefit is available and easily accessible.”
In addition to continued grab-and-go meal services at school sites, this federal nutrition benefit is available to over 250,000 students throughout San Diego County. The pre-paid cards can be used at most grocery stores, farmer’s markets, and select online retailers.
During COVID-19, Feeding San Diego provides meals to youth and families at distributions throughout the county. The organization partners with San Diego Unified School District, Cajon Valley Union School District, and Escondido Union High School District to support 15 meal sites with 3,500 food boxes each week. Feeding San Diego operates 11 youth meal sites that provide two meals a day, Monday to Friday, totaling more than 25,000 meals weekly. Youth are also supported by Feeding San Diego at seven school sites, five weekly regional emergency food distributions, ten bi-monthly mobile pantries, and other distributions throughout the county.