Food Services

Summer P-EBT is a continuation of the P-EBT currently being issued to eligible students to provide financial support to eligible students and families to purchase food for children for the summertime. Summer P-EBT is for all students that are approved for free or reduced meals regardless if they were in-person or remote. Unsure of your child's meal status? Contact the Business Office to see if your child has been approved. To be approved for free or reduced meals a free/reduced application must be completed and submitted to the Business Office.

Summer P-EBT is a standard amount per student equal to approximately 55 summer days, thus the summer P-EBT benefit will be $375 per eligible student. The Summer P-EBT benefits, should a student qualify, will be loaded onto the existing student-specific P-EBT cards issued by DHS this school year.  New cards will be issued to those new to the program. Summer benefits will be issued twice, the first in late July 2021 and the second in late September 2021.  

The purpose of P-EBT is to provide food assistance to families with students who would have received free or reduced lunch while attending school but are not receiving these meals in school due to COVID-19 restrictions. Each eligible student in the household will receive a P-EBT benefit card to the address on file. Should the eligible student continue to receive P-EBT benefit in future months, the benefits will be loaded on the initial card. The P-EBT benefit card will have the student’s name on it. Parents or guardians can use the card to purchase food items for the child. P-EBT amount may vary by student.  Additional information will be provided with the card.

• Students approved for free or reduced lunch for the 2020-21 school year. Household Eligibility Applications were completed at the beginning of this school year during registration.
• Approved free and reduce lunch students are P-EBT eligible on school days in which a breakfast or lunch meal was not provided to the student to consume at school. This includes students that are remote learners and in-person students that are not in attendance due to an approved COVID-19 related absence. 

At this time, it is very important for all eligible students to ensure that the mailing address on file current. A complete mailing address will be needed to receive the P-EBT issuance in the near future.

Please also make sure that your eligibility status for free or reduced-price meals is current. A Household Eligibility Application may be completed at any time, should your circumstances change. The free/reduce lunch application is available on the district’s website under “Registration and Residency”.  New or revised applications should be submitted to the district office.  Families that are currently receiving SNAP, TANF, or income-eligible Medicaid do not need to take any action, as this information is shared with the district via a secure portal.

The Illinois Department of Human Services should begin issuing new P-EBT cards to all known eligible students in March 2021.   Please note that all eligible students will receive benefits for all eligible school days, back to the beginning of this school year.  

Please Note: This program is managed and administered by the Illinois Department of Human Services and Illinois State Board of Education. Questions regarding the program can be directed to Food Service at (708)423-0950 ext 2160.