Heads up, parents and guardians in Oregon: you now have until the end of September to apply for a bit of financial breather to help feed your kids over the summer. The Oregon Department of Human Services and the Oregon Department of Education have tossed a lifeline to families by extending the application period for the Summer EBT program. Applications will be accepted up to midnight on September 30, offering $120 per child for groceries when school is out, and the ease of accessing school food programs is on hiatus, as detailed by the Oregon Department of Human Services.
According to the Oregon Department of Human Services, many families in Oregon might not realize they're eligible for these funds. With the amplified call to households to review their eligibility, this extension is crucial for those who haven't taken advantage of the program. It's essential to note benefits are available for use within 122 days after reception.
Suppose your household is connected with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or under the umbrella of Medicaid incomes under 185 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. In that case, your children might have pocketed their benefits already on June 28. The foster care system's children were also automatically brought into the fold.
Yet, the families who slipped through the automatic allocation net, specifically those with kiddos tied to schools in the 2023-2024 academic year who qualified for the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Programs, should step forward and apply. The state officials are nudging you towards their website - sebt.oregon.gov - or to ring the Summer EBT Call Center to check whether you're in line for the benefit. Fariborz Pakseresht, ODHS Director, stated, "We are grateful to our federal partners for making this extension." As per a press release, Dr. Charlene Williams, ODE Director, amplified the sentiment, "We know that there are many more families out there who have children who may be eligible for the $120 Summer EBT benefit and this important extension boosts our opportunity to reach them."
Since the end of June, over 336,198 school-age youngsters have received a hefty slice of the $40.3 million in Summer EBT food benefits. A majority, around 60 percent, of these families integrated the benefits onto existing Oregon EBT cards.
