Many people across the world are going hungry or have to worry about where their next meal is going to come from. As an essential need to life, not readily having food accessible or the means to get food makes living life very hard as you don't even have the basics. Alongside that, food is where you get a lot of your energy and nutrients from, without energy and the proper nutrients you can fall ill or worse.

Malnourishment and hunger are large problems in not only the world but the communities we all live in. Michigan has thousands of people that are battling with hunger and struggle to put food on their table on a daily basis, making this hit much closer to home. Both the state and federal governments have policies in place to help these individuals out but sometimes that's not enough. Sometimes those programs need a boost or to be expanded upon, that's exactly what's happening with this summer food program in Michigan.

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One of the hardest times of the year for parents is the summertime as their children are out of school and need to be fed, supervised, and managed. For some parents this is harder than others, but the government is looking to help low-income families brave one of the hardest tasks of the summer, feeding the children. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has announced a summer food program.

MDHHS will be giving eligible families $120 per children through the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) program to help families feed their children healthy meals during the summer. The Michigan Department of Education is helping to distribute funds to all eligible families before the July 19th start date.

Funds will come in the form of an EBT card, families that already have an EBT card will see a one-time payment of $120 per child added to their existing card. Families that don't already have a Bridge card would receive one in the mail that is preloaded with the family's approved amount. All eligible families will receive a letter in the mail but the requirements to be eligible are below:

  • Household participants, between the ages of 6 to 18, who receive Food Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Food Distribution Program on Indian reservations or eligible Medical Assistance households at or below 185% of the federal poverty level.
  • Students of any age certified as eligible to receive free or reduced-priced lunch through the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program.
  • Approved through the Summer EBT application process.

If you think you are eligible check your Bridge card balance, reach out to the MDHHS, or check your mailbox as you may have already been compensated.

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