More than 200,000 New Mexico children could get extra money for food this summer

An estimated 223,000 children in New Mexico should qualify to share $26.3 million extra dollars for food this summer.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture introduced a new program last week, which will provide $2.5 billion in grocery benefits across the country for 21 million children, beginning this summer.

In the states choosing to participate, the USDA expects participation to be greater in the new summer EBT program than participation in summer feeding programs through school systems, Agriculture Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small said.

“There are feeding sites across the country for school meals over the summer, but historically only about 1 in 6 kids who are eligible for those free meals or reduced meals, get them through those programs,” Torres Small said. “And that’s why separate summer EBT is a game changer to help fight childhood hunger.”

The new summer EBT program will be similar to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, , with pre-loaded cards that a child’s parent or guardian can use to buy food. Eligible families will get $120 per child for the summer — $40 per month — that can be spent at grocery stores and farmers markets.

Congress created the new summer EBT program with bipartisan support just more than a year ago, and 35 states, five U.S. territories and four tribes have decided to participate, which includes 70% of children nationwide who would be eligible for the program. Fifteen states have opted out, including neighboring Texas, but they can opt in next year.

The USDA studied the idea of providing extra money directly to families through EBT from 2011 to 2014, with a small program that gave families $30 or $60 per month over summer. The study found that children ate more nutritious food and had less food insecurity with the extra funding.

“Typically, with a summer meal program, there’s a site that will deliver meals, and so parents have to plan their day around getting to that site. And specifically when it’s a rural place, those sites can be really far away from home. So, it’s an issue of transportation and work all to make sure your kid gets the food and nutrition that they need,” Torres Small said.

One in 5 children in the state of New Mexico suffers from food insecurity, said Karmela Martinez, director of New Mexico’s Income Support Division, and the new program will be another layer of support on top of existing nutrition programs. The existing summer feeding program is not going anywhere; the Public Education Department will continue running it.

“Sometimes that meal that they’re getting at school really is the most nutritious meal that they’re getting in a day,” Martinez said. “And when they’re separated from that during the summer months, we want to make sure that those kids aren’t adversely impacted and that they do have a nutritious meal available to them.”

Who qualifies

Families who are at or under 185% of the federal poverty line will qualify. For a family of four, the federal poverty line is $31,200 annually.

“If your child is already receiving SNAP or food stamps, or cash assistance from HSD (Human Services Department), then you are categorically eligible for this program,” Martinez said. “If you receive the federal free lunch program, then you are also qualified for this program.”

The pandemic EBT program ran from May 2020 until fall 2023 and mirrors the new program in some ways.

“If you received the pandemic EBT on a white EBT card over this past couple of years, hold on to that card — it’s going to be good again,” Martinez said. “Please fill out a free and reduced lunch program application at your local school.”

While summer EBT is different than the federal school lunch program, the information on the free and reduced lunch program applications that schools collect annually will help the state figure out who qualifies. Parents who have not filled out the form this school year can do so at their school district’s central office.

Parents also should make sure that their child’s address is up to date with the school authority, because they will be notified if they qualify for the program through the mail, and they also should ensure the school has current information on the child’s guardian.

There might be an additional application needed, but the logistics of that have not been worked out yet, Martinez said.

Running the program

“Tentatively, we hope to be able to implement this program, if fiscally everything falls into place for us, this coming summer of ‘24, as long as there’s no kind of fiscal restraints,” Martinez said.

The program is a 50-50 administrative match between the federal and state government, so if any additional staff or technology is needed to run the program, the state general fund would pay half and the federal government would match those funds, Martinez said.

A budget request for a one-time $1.1 million fund has been submitted to the state Legislature for the summer EBT program. If it is not approved, there could be fiscal restraints on the program, according to Martinez.

The summer EBT program is being administered by the Public Education Department and the Human Services Department. PED is handling eligibility, accepting and processing applications and transferring that data to HSD. HSD will handle benefits issuance and offer customer service support after issuance.