Wisconsin is first state to receive federal approval for summer EBT program

Wisconsin is the first state to receive federal approval for the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) program, which aims to help families feed children over the summer months when schools are closed, Gov. Tony Evers announced Thursday.

The Summer EBT program will provide funds to low-income families with school-age children for purchasing groceries during the summer months. The program, which was authorized permanently by Congress in 2022, is based on similar efforts used during the COVID-19 pandemic to address food insecurity for children.

“Making sure our kids have enough to eat is critical for supporting their success in and out of the classroom,” Evers said in a statement. “Unfortunately, when school is out, many families lose access to one of their most reliable sources of healthy meals.”  

Families will receive a one-time summer benefit of $120 for each eligible child identified in the form of pre-loaded cards that can be used at grocery and convenience stores, some farmers markets and other places that accept FoodShare benefits. The standard benefit amount was set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the 2024 program year and will be distributed to families in late June. 

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), Department of Public Instruction (DPI), and Department of Children and Families (DCF) are working together to get the benefits to families. According to Evers’ office, most eligible families will receive the benefits automatically in Wisconsin because the agencies will identify kids who qualify based on their participation in certain other benefit programs, like FoodShare or the free or reduced-price meal program at their school. 

“This program will be a tremendous asset in helping ensure families can afford quality, nutritious food to fill these gaps,” Evers said. “I am proud of the hard work of our agencies and our administration’s leadership in getting these dollars out the door and into the hands of families who need them as soon as possible.”

Families who already have a QUEST card or a P-EBT card from the pandemic will get the benefits on their existing card, while families who don’t already have a card will be sent one in the mail with their benefits pre-loaded.

Daithi Wolfe, a senior early education analyst with Kids Forward, praised the state for moving forward with the program as a way of helping working families and kids, the economy and the food system. He noted that there have been some Republican-led states, including Mississippi, that rejected the federal program due to their opposition to the “welfare state.” In all, fourteen states won’t participate in the program. 

Wolfe said the program can positively address the ongoing problems of hungry children, the youth mental health crisis, lack of access to healthy food and obesity. About one in nine children in Wisconsin currently face hunger, according to Feeding America, and according to USDA estimates, approximately 401,000 children in Wisconsin will be eligible for the Summer EBT program.

“There’s many, many kids who get most of their nutrition and their healthy food from the school, and when school’s out, that’s this big vacuum or gap, and so summer feeding is a super important thing,” Wolfe said. “It became even more important during the pandemic.” 

Children that benefit from the Summer EBT program will still be able to participate in other summer meal programs. For example, the Summer Food Service Program, which is funded by the federal government and administered by the state of Wisconsin, reimburses participants who serve free healthy meals and snacks to children in low-income areas during the summer months.

Wolfe said that the program’s use of EBT is “another win because it’s about making it accessible and in a way that works in the community.” 

Wolfe said that having multiple points of entry are essential when it comes to prioritizing access to healthy food. He said in addition to some federally funded programs, Wisconsin and certain local communities have also had success with local programs like Dane County’s Double Dollars program, which provides FoodShare shoppers with a dollar-for-dollar match of up to $20 when shopping at participating farmers markets. 

“Unfortunately, we live in a food system that is entirely broken and 180 degrees in the wrong direction, because it’s cheap to go to McDonald’s or go to buy junk food. It’s expensive to buy an apple or some fresh vegetables from a farmers market,” Wolfe said. “I just appreciate anything we can do to flip that on its head.”