Pandemic-EBT program only reaching 15% of eligible children

The Pandemic-EBT program was approved in the first significant federal coronavirus relief package, the Families First Act, in mid-March. The new program aims to offset the now-limited reach of school meals by compensating families directly. Pandemic-EBT was intended to assist 30 million children in the United States; however, according to an New York Times analysis, as of May 15, only 15 percent of eligible children (about 4.4 million), had received benefits. This is due, in part, to a slow start in many states. In fact, 16 states have not yet received federal permission to start the program, and not all states have applied. #covid-19 #foodsecurity