Michigan has become the first state in the country to gain federal approval of a program that will provide nutritious food to children affected by school closings due to COVID-19. 

The Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer Program (P-EBT) provides temporary funding to address emergency food needs for families affected by the pandemic.  

The P-EBT program will:

• Include families with children ages 5-18 who are enrolled in the Michigan Department of Education program for free or reduced-price school meals.

• Include approximately 895,000 students in Michigan.

• Include families who are currently receiving food assistance program benefits as well as those not currently enrolled in the program. 

• Serve as a special, provisional EBT program and it will be eligible for Double Up Food bucks.

• Provide benefits that include $193.80 per eligible student to cover the months of March and April and an additional $182.40 per student to cover May and June combined. 

The state shared that these additional benefits will fortify and supplement the important efforts that local school districts will continue to put forth, providing nutritious school meals to children at over 2,000 stationary locations and nearly 700 mobile sites throughout Michigan.

“I am proud that Michigan is the first state to receive federal approval for this program to put healthy food on the table for families that need them,” Governor Gretchen Whitmer said. “The spread of COVID-19 has had a profound impact on our state. My administration will continue to work around the clock to help Michiganders through this difficult time and slow the spread of this virus.”

This new program comes while we’re seeing our emergency food distribution network strained due to the growing demand.

Food Bank Council of Michigan (FBCM) has been sharing its work on social media, stating in part: “Every Michigander is being called on right now to help feed the ever-increasing number of children, families and seniors finding themselves without food during the pandemic.”

FBCM has partnered with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that senior citizens are able to receive meals during the pandemic by providing quarantine boxes. FBCM shares that the boxes provide 22 meals of balanced, protein-rich, shelf-stable food items, intended to last for 10 days.

FBCM has been focusing on what their strategy may look like statewide to respond to the food insecurity needs during and after the crisis.

“The longer-term view of this crisis will last longer than whenever the last patient is discovered,” Dr. Phil Knight, executive director of FBCM told CMF. “It will take months for economic recovery to take root and in the meantime, people getting back to work will need work supports to help them for the duration.”

FBCM is leading a virtual food drive and invites donations to support their food boxes for families and seniors.

The Office of Foundation Liaison (OFL) has been working to make connections and partnerships when it comes to addressing the food insecurity and distribution issues Michigan is facing. Domino’s Pizza shared its interest in donating pizzas to those in need. The OFL connected Domino’s Pizza with the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan (FBEM). Through this partnership, last Monday, FBEM integrated a stream of hot, freshly made pizzas into three major food distribution sites in Flint. 

In addition to shelf-stable food boxes designed for families to take home, each family received a hot meal delivered by the local Domino’s store. Flint's three major help centers, which were formed during the Flint water crisis, received the additional hot pizzas, serving approximately 900 families last week. The OFL says Domino’s is currently discussing how to expand these activities to more locations across Michigan.