Policy and Advocacy Statewide WIC Community Engagement Session for Spanish Speakers: For decades, WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children) participation has been declining in Pennsylvania. It is important to hear from present and former WIC participants about the barriers and challenges they faced while accessing the program, as well as solutions that would make the WIC experience more valuable. Our partners at United Way of Berks County are hosting a statewide, virtual WIC Community Engagement Session for Spanish-speaking families. This session will take place on Wednesday, July 27th from 6-7:30pm, and participants will receive a $25 gift card for their time. Learn more or find a link to register on this flyer. Sesión Estatal de Participación Comunitaria de WIC para Hispanohablantes: Durante décadas, la participación de WIC ha disminuido en Pensilvania. Es importante escuchar de los participantes actuales y anteriores de WIC sobre las barreras y desafíos que enfrentaron al acceder al programa, así como las soluciones que harían que la experiencia de WIC fuera más valiosa. Nuestros socios en United Way of Berks County están organizando una sesión virtual de participación comunitaria de WIC en todo el estado para familias de habla hispana. Esta sesión tendrá lugar el miércoles 27 de julio de 6-7:30p.m. y los participantes recibirán una tarjeta de regalo de $25 por su tiempo. Obtenga más información o encuentre un enlace para registrarse en este folleto. Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT): P-EBT payments for kids in K-12 for the 2021-2022 school year have begun. The first payment, covering September-November 2021 has already gone out. P-EBT gives families money to purchase food to replace free or reduced-price school meals that eligible students missed due to COVID-19 related absences. This year, P-EBT is tied to COVID-19 related absences, so it will look different than in previous years. Your kid may be eligible for P-EBT if: - They attend a school that participants in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and
- They are signed up for the Free and Reduced-Price meals program (or attend a school that participates in the Community Eligibility Provision-CEP), and
- They had a COVID-19 related absence.
Payments may have been posted to a family’s SNAP card (if the child could be matched to an open SNAP case) or to an existing P-EBT card, if the child has received P-EBT benefits previously. If a child was newly eligible for P-EBT this past school year, a new card was mailed to them. This year, families can check if their child was eligible for P-EBT, and for how much, using the P-EBT Parent Portal. Families can also use this portal to request a new P-EBT card if they lost their card. P-EBT information will only show up on the portal for payments that have already been issued (September-November 2021). If your eligible child had a COVID-related absence later in the school year, that will not yet be reflected in the portal. For additional P-EBT information, please see this FAQ or watch our P-EBT webinar. Keep Kids Fed Act: We are still waiting to see how the implementation of the Keep Kids Fed Act will affect summer meal sites for kids in our region. While we wait for additional information, we continue to keep our summer meals map up to date. If you would like to find a summer meal site for your kid, visit our map or call our hotline Mon-Thur 9-5 or Fri 9-4 at (215) 770-4659. If you are interested in helping us promote these resources for families in your community, find outreach materials in our Summer Meals Toolkit. | 
