SPOKANE, Wash. — If you have a student in Spokane Public Schools (SPS), they likely received some mail from the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services this summer. Inside one of the envelopes, parents should find a Pandemic-EBT card.
Our VERIFY team has heard from parents who wanted to know what the card was for and why they got it. Here's what we can VERIFY.
SOURCES
Norah West, Washington State Department of Social and Health Services
Spokane Public Schools
Are the benefits real?
"These are real benefits," West said. "These are food benefits intended for kids who were impacted by the COVID pandemic."
Each card has $120 on them and can be used to purchase food at grocery stores and farmers' markets. The funds are part of the Summer P-EBT program, a temporary program, established during the Covid pandemic, that provides additional food benefits to help keep kids fed during summer break.
Families who previously received P-EBT benefits should have the money added to their existing cards. Families who are getting the benefits for the first time should receive a new card in the mail.
"Once you set up the pin, you're free to use those cards at any grocery store that accepts EBT cards, and you can use them just like a debit card," West explained.
If you lost your P-EBT card, call the P-EBT contact center at 1-833-518-0282.
Why did every Spokane Public Schools student receive the benefits?
SPS first emailed families back in May with details about the program. The district noted, “All SPS families will receive them regardless of income based on SPS being part of the Community Eligibility Provision, which allows SPS to offer free breakfast and lunch to all enrolled students.”
When SPS announced the free lunch program in 2022, Superintendent Adam Swinyard said over 55% of school students in the district were already receiving free and reduced lunch support.
West encourages all families to take advantage of the benefits, even if there are families that don't feel like they need it.
"The Pandemic EBT benefits are intended for the child whose name is on the card. If the family doesn't feel like they need it, we would encourage people to use it just the same. They cannot be donated," West said. "We encourage people to use the card to buy groceries where they usually would, participate in the farmers market, and help the community economy as well."
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