Foothills Review

North Carolina families whose children are eligible for the free and reduced lunch program will receive additional funding through the use of the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfers, House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain) said in a Facebook post on April 20. 

North Carolina is one of four states the United States Department of Agriculture approved for the program as of mid-April, which will provide $250 per eligible student until May 15, with the possibility of families receiving another check if schools remain closed after that date. 

The federally-backed Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfers program is meant to help families feed their children while schools are closed, WECT News 6 reported on April 20. 

"As our schools closed, many families across the state worried about where their next meals would come from and we knew we had to take action," North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen told WECT. “The [Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfers] program will provide extra help buying groceries for the families of the more than 800,000 children who normally receive free and reduced lunch at school."

Families will only be able to purchase groceries with the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfers card at authorized retailers.  

Eligible families will not need to apply for the additional food assistance, according to WECT News 6. If a family is already "receiving Food and Nutrition Services benefits," the additional benefit will be added to their existing EBT card, according to WECT News 6.

If a family is not receiving FNS benefits, a Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfers card will be mailed to them along with instructions on how to use it, according to WECT News 6.  

“So many families are in need, especially with so many out of work right now. This approval helps people get assistance faster to feed their families,” Gov. Roy Cooper told WECT.