Eligible Families can Receive up to $120 for Groceries this Summer with Summer EBT

Did you know eligible children can receive NJ Summer EBT benefits?! This program allows children who receive free school meals, breakfast and/or lunch, to receive up to 120 dollars for groceries over the summer. Summer EBT is a nutrition program sponsored by the NJ State government that allows children to get money for food over the summer.. With Summer EBT a child can receive up to $120 dollars for food over 4 months during the summer. This comes in the form of an EBT card similar to a SNAP card and can be used at any SNAP authorized retailer. Since Summer EBT is separate from SNAP, applying for it won’t affect the amount of SNAP or WIC a family receives. 

An eligible child will receive an EBT card designated for Summer EBT that can be used to purchase groceries at authorized retailers. These authorized retailers include grocery stores, corner stores, farmers markets and farm stands. Summer EBT can also be used at retailers participating in the Good Food Bucks program! Like SNAP, when the Summer EBT card is used at retailers in the Good Food Bucks program a child can receive fresh fruits and vegetables at a discounted rate.This discount is either 50% off all the fruits and vegetables purchased or a dollar for dollar match in coupon. This means the child is getting double the amount of fresh produce when they use Good Food Bucks. To learn more about Good Food Bucks and locations where you can use Summer EBT click this link. There are over 120+ farm and farmers market locations that offer the Good Food Bucks program so make sure you stop by one to see these benefits. 

Health Free NJ Summer EBT Outreach Graphic

To sign up for Summer EBT contact your child's school counselor they will be able to give you information about how to sign up for the program. In addition the Community Food Bank of New Jersey can guide you through the Summer EBT application process. Visit https://www.nj.gov/summerebt/ for more information about the Summer EBT program.

To support Summer EBT make sure to share this information in your community. Summer EBT is a relatively new benefit and can be an important resource for families during the summer. The first step is awareness, increasing people's awareness about Summer EBT just might help them get more groceries this summer.