In July, the Colorado Department of Human Services mailed out more than 500,000 benefit cards to students across the state as part of the new Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program.
The benefit cards are preloaded with one-time lump sums of $120 per eligible student, according to a news release from CDHS. Families can use these cards to buy healthier food, like most fresh, canned and frozen foods. These include fruits and vegetable, meat, dairy products, eggs, rice, beans and other dry goods, snack crackers and bakery goods, and seeds and plants to produce food for the household to consume.
In Montezuma County, 2,986 students are enrolled in the program, according to AnneMarie Harper, director of communications for CDHS. In Dolores County, 205 students are enrolled.
The cards can be used anywhere SNAP benefits are accepted. In Cortez, these benefits can be used at nearly every gas station and grocery store, according to the SNAP Retailer Locator. These benefits can also be used at stores in Dolores and Mancos.
In Dove Creek, the benefits can be used at the Family Dollar, Dollar General, and the Dove Creek Superette.
“Summer EBT is a critical program that helps close gaps in childhood hunger and nutrition,” said CDHS Executive Director Michelle Barnes. “I’m proud that Colorado has stepped up to implement this new and innovative program to help families.”
Students who receive free or reduced-price lunches through the National School Lunch program or School Breakfast Program are eligible for these benefits. Students receiving other benefits like SNAP and Colorado Works, or who meet National School Lunch program income guidelines and receive Medicaid are also able to receive these benefits, according to the release.
The Summer EBT program is based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer EBT for Children demonstration programs and the Pandemic EBT program, both of which showed reductions in child hunger and improvements in diet quality.
“Pandemic EBT is definitely the primary direct inspiration for this. That was a program that assisted students when schools closed during the pandemic, they didn't have access to the school lunch or nutrition programs, and so pandemic EBT was designed to supplement that,” CDHS subject matter expert Abby McClelland told The Journal.
The Summer EBT program is permanent, and McClelland said that they are already preparing for 2025. The CDHS has “mixed feelings about growth,” as the goal is to help students get what they need and reduce food vulnerability. However, they still aim to serve students who are eligible for the program and remain food vulnerable.
The amount of money available for each family through this program is a federal decision, McClelland said. Therefore, the CDHS has to wait and see what happens with the grant amount as the program continues.
“We're really excited to roll out the program for the first time this year, we're serving over half a million Colorado students over the summer at a time when, historically, they have been vulnerable to food insecurity and lack of nutrition,” McClelland told The Journal. “To be able to opt in to that federal program and choose to do the work to support those students, is something we're very proud of at the state level.”
Benefit cards were sent out last month via the U.S. Postal Service. If families didn’t receive cards and believe that their child or children are eligible, call 1-800-536-5298 to reach the Summer EBT support center. They can also be reached via email at cdhs_sebt_supportcenter@state.co.us or via text at (720) 741-0550.
The CDHS’s website provides more information about the program and how it works. Visit bit.ly/EBTtip to learn more.
