New York State has delivered $189 million in summer food assistance to nearly 1.6 million low-income children, Governor Kathy Hochul announced on July 1, through the federally funded 2026 Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program. When fully disbursed, the state expects the program to reach an estimated 2 million school-aged children with roughly $240 million total, according to Hochul’s press office.
The program puts $120 per child onto an EBT card that works exactly like SNAP at authorized grocery stores and farmers markets. Most eligible families, including those already receiving SNAP, Public Assistance, or Medicaid, get the money automatically and do not need to do anything. Families who are not automatically enrolled have until September 8, 2026 to apply at ny.gov/SummerEBT, per the announcement.
The $120 expires 122 days after it is issued. Any unused balance is wiped from the card after that window closes, so families should spend the benefits soon after the card arrives, Hochul’s office said.
To qualify, a child must attend a school participating in the National School Lunch Program and meet the income thresholds for free or reduced-price school meals. The program fills a gap that opens every June: when school is out, children who rely on free and reduced-price cafeteria meals lose that access entirely. A USDA demonstration project cited in the announcement found that summer food benefits reduced the share of children with very low food security by one-third.
Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, said in a statement that children who receive school meals during the year “don’t receive government-funded food at summer meals sites when schools are closed,” calling Summer EBT “critical in closing this gap.” Richard R. Buery Jr., CEO of Robin Hood, described summer as a time when “school meals disappear and budgets are stretched thin” for low-income New York families.
Assemblymember Maritza Davila, who chairs the Assembly Social Services Committee, said in a statement that too many families are already “struggling with the rising cost of everything in their lives from housing, medical care and especially food costs” and called the assistance critical. No Kid Hungry New York Director Rachel Sabella noted that the benefits “strengthen local economies by allowing recipients to spend them at neighborhood grocery stores, farmers markets, and other local businesses.”
The announcement comes as federal nutrition programs face Republican-backed cuts in Congress. Senator Charles Schumer said in a statement that federal funding for hungry children is “more critical than ever” as what he called “draconian cuts to federal nutrition assistance take effect.” Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who said she fought to make the federal Summer EBT program permanent, framed the state program as a counterweight to what she described as federal reductions. In New York’s FY27 state budget, Hochul secured $51 million for the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP), an additional $15 million to expand it to regional food banks and pantries, and $55 million for the Nourish NY program, according to her press office. She also secured $395 million to reimburse the cost of school meals in FY 2027, continuing the Universal Free School Meals program.
Kate Breslin, president and CEO of the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy, cited a Federal Reserve Bank of New York finding of “a remarkable increase in food insecurity, particularly among households with young children” to explain the program’s urgency this summer.
The program is administered by the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, which is coordinating outreach with school districts, food advocacy organizations, and state agencies including the Department of Motor Vehicles and Department of Labor career centers. Outreach materials for community partners and school districts are available from OTDA’s Summer EBT program. Applications must be submitted by September 8, 2026.
Featured image: SNAP to Market
