FL Leaves $820M In Food Aid For Children Untouched

The Tampa Bay Times reports:

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has not yet applied for up to $820 million in food assistance to more than 2 million Florida children, raising concerns from food assistance groups and others who note that child hunger remains a significant problem.

The federal program, called the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer program, was created last year to help feed children who missed meals because they weren’t attending schools in person during the pandemic.

The program deposits money to a card for families of children who qualify for free or reduced meals at their school. It was created by the federal government last year to ensure children were still being fed while they attended school remotely.

Read the full article.

Federal aid Gov. DeSantis has yet to tap into:

-$820 million in food assistance for 2 million children
-$280 million in SNAP benefits
-$300 a week for unemployed Floridians trying to find work
-$850 million in pandemic-related rental assistance.https://t.co/HZLIEGxC7T

— Steve Contorno (@scontorno) August 24, 2021