June 5, 2020 – Two food assistance programs in Mississippi have seen significant developments this week.
WIC gets EBT card overhaul
The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is moving to a retail food system via an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card, according to an MSDH news alert dated for May 29, 2020.
“WIC participants will go from using paper vouchers for approved items to be picked up at a WIC food center to using an eWIC card to redeem benefits at approved grocery stores and pharmacies of their choice,” the news alert reads. “In most locations there will be an approved grocery store and pharmacy within a 15-mile radius of their local WIC clinic.”
Read the full press release here.
USDA Approves Pandemic-EBT Benefits for Mississippians
Families who relied on free or reduced-cost school meals before schools closed due to the pandemic have some extra nutrition assistance on the way.
The US Department of Agriculture has approved Mississippi Department of Human Services and Mississippi Department of Education to operate the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) program, which is part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
No application is needed to receive the benefit. Read the full news alert here.