Food Bank of Alaska shares eligibility calculator with public in light of new pandemic relief on its way

WASILLA — Food Bank of Alaska recently announced the upcoming arrival of additional pandemic relief coming from the U.S. government to the state through the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program in a recent press release.

P-EBT funds offer additional funds to families to cover unexpected expenses as a result of lost school meals when schools were operating under a majority virtual or hybrid model. Qualifying will start receiving benefits for the 2020-21 school year at the end of this month.

Funds will be loaded on a new or existing EBT card and can be used to purchase groceries with benefits up to $1813 per eligible child attending a qualified school.

Families qualify for P-EBT if they received free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program. Those with children at schools where every student normally receives free meals through Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and attended a school that transitioned into remote learning as a result of COVID-19 are also eligible.

Households utilizing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will see their P-EBT benefits automatically loaded onto their SNAP Quest card. Those without SNAP will receive P-EBT cards in the mail.

Food Bank of Alaska developed an Eligibility and Benefit Calculator to help families determine their eligibility.

“We know many families were hit hard by pandemic, particularly those who suddenly found themselves with kids needing to learn from home,” Food Bank of Alaska CEO Jim Baldwin, stated in the press release. “Pandemic EBT will help those families make up for lost school meals and ensure continued nutrition for their children as families get back on their feed and as our economy recovers.”

There is no application for P-EBT in this second round since it’s a continuation from the first round of benefits. Eligible families will automatically be issued benefits sometime this summer, likely late July, according to the Food Bank of Alaska website.

Numerous families received the first round of benefits for the spring 2020 school closure last fall, but some eligible households missed the application period or didn’t receive benefits for another reason. Those families will automatically be issued back benefits and should see their P-EBT cards this summer.

For more information, visit foodbankofalaska.org/pebt. For additional questions, call the State of Alaska’s P-EBT hotline at 1-800-478-7778.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com