Arizona provides additional benefits to feed children during pandemic

Funding aims to fill gap left by suspended lunch services

PHOENIX, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and the state Department of Economic Security (DES) announced Tuesday, households with children eligible for free, or reduced-price, school meals will receive additional benefts

Households will receive benefits equivalent to one free breakfast, and one free lunch, for each eligible child. Nearly 600,000 students across the state receive free, or reduced-price, school meals. That includes the 186,000 children already receiving Nutrition Assistance. All will be eligible for supplemental payments.

“We are working to ensure no Arizona kid goes hungry during the COVID-19 health emergency,” said Governor Ducey.

“Schools across the state have worked hard to get nutritious meals to kids while schools are closed, and this program will build on those efforts and provide additional relief to families struggling at this time." he continued.

The benefits will be retroactive to March 16, 2020. They're based on the number of school days for which the child would have received assistance from school meal programs. Eligible families will receive $69 for March, $126 in April, and $120 in May, for each child. Families that have been accessing meals from schools during the closure are still eligible for these benefits. 

“School meal programs have done an amazing job in ensuring students have access to nutritional meals while schools are closed due to the pandemic,” said Tom Betlach, from DES.

“These resources provide additional support for student nutrition and expand families’ options for healthy food for their children.” said Betlach.

Most families who partcipate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will see the addtional benefits show up in their existing accounts.

To apply for Nutrition Assistance, visit healthearizonaplus.gov or call 1-855-432-7587, 7am-6pm Monday through Friday.