Indianapolis, IN — Many Indiana families will have an easier time feeding their children this summer after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) extended the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program. The program was first launched in March 2020 to reach children who qualify for free and reduced-price meals at school but weren’t able to attend in person. Families will receive close to $7 per child per weekday, or about $375 per month. Nearly 650,000 Indiana children are expected to qualify, and benefits to the state will total more than $240 million, according to the USDA. Those numbers include benefits for children from birth to age six who are not in school. The P-EBT program is partially based on the summer EBT program for children, which the USDA has piloted around the country since 2011.
