OHIO — For the first time, Ohio and other states are taking part in a new and permanent nutrition assistance program established by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service.

“During the summer, families struggle not only with the increased cost of meals while school is out and traditional school meals aren’t available for their students, but also high costs for cooling their homes during the hot summer months here in Ohio,” said Joree Novotny, director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks,

Novotny noted that while the pandemic EBT program gave more benefits to more families than Sun Bucks will, more than 800,000 students in Ohio are eligible to participate in the new program. Families will get a onetime $120 payment to help buy groceries during the summer.  As many families will reap the benefits, so will businesses.

“We’re talking about potentially more than $100 million in federal food assistance for families with kids this summer that can be spent right at their local grocery stores,” Novotny said. She added that as people participate, it should help families stretch their dollars and “Hopefully help them avoid needing to turn to our emergency hunger relief network as often because they can instead shop at their local grocer and contribute to local jobs and local tax revenue.”

As the program is rolled out in the state, eligible students will be automatically enrolled. That includes families already receiving SNAP benefits, those who are in income eligible households and covered by Medicaid, along with those who have directly applied for free school meals. Families should expect to receive a card in the mail with their $120 benefit, giving them the opportunity to shop at participating grocery stores and farmers’ markets that are EBT vendors. Even though families will receive help from the Sun Bucks program, they’re also being encouraged to head to summer meal sites across the state as well.