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SALT LAKE CITY— The deadline to apply for the pandemic electronic benefit transfer (EBT) aid program is Monday, which disburses $308 as a one-time payout loaded onto a prepaid card. That money can only go toward food purchases.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture developed the program after the Free and Reduced Lunch Meals program was halted when schools shut down in March.
“The EBT program was set up as a way to get food assistance to those who were relying on [it],” said Nate McDonald, assistant deputy director at Utah’s Department of Workforce Services.
You are eligible to apply if you are a student — or have one in your family — that was in a Free and Reduced Meal program in the spring. Roughly 77,000 households in Utah are eligible, according to McDonald.
However, the department reports only 27,000 households have applied so far. While this is a good response, McDonald said that “upwards of 50,000 household [in Utah] are still eligible to get these benefits.”
The clock is ticking. The Food Administration Services department issued a deadline, which is set for Monday.
“The money will go directly to families in need,” he said. “But they must apply by Aug. 31.”
Utahns can apply on the department’s website here.