Making sure Hoosiers have access to food as the pandemic continues remains a priority for state officials. Families with kids attending class virtually who would normally get free or reduced-price meals at school will be able to get that funding on a Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer card.
During Wednesday’s press conference, State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box said those benefits will be available for the first two months of the fall semester. “This is in addition to the USDA waiver that allows free meals onsite or for pickup at schools,” she explained. “All Indiana schools received an email with instructions on how to submit this data. Being hungry should not be another worry during these times.”
The Pandemic EBT program was first put in place when schools shifted to remote learning in the spring. Box said about 600,000 EBT cards and $188 million in food benefits have been distributed as part of the effort.
Also working to address food insecurity are Indiana’s food banks. Last week, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration and Feeding Indiana’s Hungry issued a call for volunteers, as the Indiana National Guard is scheduled to end its six-month deployment helping food banks at the end of the month.
But during Wednesday’s press conference, Brigadier General Dale Lyles, Adjutant General of the Indiana National Guard, said they’re only leaving food banks if they have enough volunteers. “So we are not ending the mission in total,” he explained. “We’ve done an analysis of the food banks that require continued support, and we’re going to continue to support them.”
To learn more about how you can help Indiana’s food banks, visit OperationFood.IN.gov.
