FoodShare benefits to be distributed this week for children under 6 under new program

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Wisconsin will begin distributing FoodShare benefits this week for children under the age of six not yet enrolled in schools under a new federal food assistance program.

The state’s Department of Health Services announced Wednesday they received approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service for its plan to implement the new federal program.

FoodShare households in Wisconsin will receive benefits on May 29 for children under six-years-old in the new Pandemic-EBT program, called Pre-6 Pandemic-EBT. It is designed to help families whose young children may have been more often since last fall due to child care closures during the coronavirus pandemic.

The benefits will cover the months of October through December 2020.

“Pre-6 Pandemic-EBT will help feed our youngest and most vulnerable Wisconsinites, and we are committed to making sure these benefits reach our families that need them most,” says Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake.

The amount of benefits that FoodShare households will receive for Pre-6 P-EBT is being calculated using information submitted by schools for the regular P-EBT program. The full benefit amount will vary from month to month as it is calculated using the number of school days in a given month.

FoodShare recipients do not need to do anything to receive these benefits.