Summer EBT Cards Arriving Soon

School-age children in low-income families across West Virginia will soon be getting Summer EBT, or electronic benefits, cards through the mail. 

The cards are designed to ensure that children who qualify for free and reduced meals at school can still have access to healthy food over the summer months. 

The West Virginia Department of Education points to figures that indicate roughly 67 percent of school-aged children qualify for the assistance – which means, more than 183-thousand children in this state live in households at or below the federal poverty level.  

An estimated one in five children in West Virginia live in a household that is food insecure, according to the nationwide network Feeding America.

Kent Nowviskie, deputy commissioner of the Bureau for Family Assistance in the Department of Human Services, says without the summer EBT cards and other helpful programs, children in this state would suffer.

“Frankly we would see a lot of hungry children and greater strains on food banks and other charitable sources of food for families that are struggling to put food on the table,” he said.   

Each eligible student will receive a one-time benefit of $120 on a new Summer EBT card that will be mailed to the address on file with the child’s school or their public benefit case. Cards could show up as early as Monday. Applications can be completed at all DoHS county offices or online at schoolcafe.com and will be accepted until August 20.