Federal relief funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for July and August 2023 to help buy groceries while children are home during the summer months.

Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) food benefits are available to school-aged children who are eligible for free or reduce-price school meals during SY 2022-23 and are enrolled in an eligible school on June 22nd, 2023, and students enrolled in one the Districts seven CEP Schools (Chambers Prairie, Lacey, Lydia Hawk, Mountain View, Pleasant Glade, Nisqually, and Envision). The Public Charge rule does not apply to P-EBT and will not impact immigration status.

P-EBT benefits can be used like a debit card to buy food in most grocery stores and farmers markets, or to buy food online at Amazon or Walmart.

Great news: Families don’t have to apply for the P-EBT Program! If your child is eligible for free or reduced price school meals, is enrolled in school on June 22nd, or are enrolled in a CEP School, they may automatically qualify. Families should ensure their current mailing address is on file with the child’s school and are encouraged to fill out a school meal application if their child doesn’t get free or reduced price meals already.

You can sign up for text message alerts about the status of your child's P-EBT by going to textpebt.dshs.wa.gov.

NTPS does not have any information about when DSHS will distribute these benefits.

Summer 2023 P-EBT program

Qualifying students who are enrolled on the last day of school (June 23rd) will receive a one-time lump sum of $120 per child to cover the summer period through July and August 2023. School-aged children enrolled in Washington state schools that operate the NSLP and who are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals, or are enrolled in a CEP school, are eligible for Summer 2023 P-EBT benefits. 

NTPS does not have information about when funds will be added or when cards will be issued. Disbursement information for P-EBT can found on the DSHS P-EBT web page.

Follow the instructions that come with your P-EBT card and create your secure Personal Identification Number or PIN. Keep your card! 

If your family is facing homelessness and your child is eligible for P-EBT, you can request your P-EBT card be sent to a different address that you can access (i.e. your child’s school). Call your school to make necessary arrangements for pick-up of the P-EBT card.  

If you do not receive a card, we recommend to check with your child’s school to ensure they have your current mailing address. It is possible that a P-EBT card was mailed to an old address. Or, if your address is not the problem, you can call the P-EBT Contact Center at 833-518-0282.

No. The P-EBT is a unique program and these benefits will be kept separately from your other benefits available on your EBT card.

Most children active on food assistance are automatically certified for free school meals, but they don’t automatically qualify for P-EBT benefits. P-EBT eligibility will depend on the school the child attends and if they are actively enrolled on the last day of school. Please make sure your address is up to date with your school to receive benefits.

Some families get a $0 food benefit amount and keep their case open for access to other resources. Families that receive $0 in food assistance are not automatically certified for free school meals and must apply for free or reduced-price meals by contacting their child’s school.

No. Benefits are provided to the child and immigration is not required to apply for this program.

If you need more food assistance or cash assistance, you can call the Department of Social and Health Services to apply for benefits at 877-501-2233 or visit www.washingtonconnection.org. If you need emergency food assistance, call 2-1-1.

• The OSPI Organizations Providing Meals Map can help families find locations serving meals to children. Participating in these meal services does not prevent eligible children from getting P-EBT benefits.
• Contact your local school district to learn about free meal site locations in your area. These meal programs are available to all children 18 and under, regardless of what school they attend.
• You can go to washingtonconnection.org to see if you qualify to get Basic Food benefits.    
• If you have any younger children, you may also qualify for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, which provides food assistance to children up to the age of 5 and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers: https://www.doh.wa.gov/YouandYourFamily/WIC.

We encourage households determined eligible for P-EBT to use the benefits for your family and to help boost the local economy. Benefits are not transferrable and cannot be gifted or donated. If you still wish to decline the benefits, you may destroy the card or return the card to the address on the back of the card. Benefits will be automatically removed after 274 days of non-use.