Congressman James Moylan brings an update from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), stating there are efforts being made to address food insecurity in Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will provide Guam and CNMI residents higher benefits through a new summer program for children called Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (Summer EBT).

In Summer 2024, families will receive $177 per eligible child in Summer EBT benefits to use to buy groceries.

FNS Western Regional Administrator Jesus Mendoza Jr. said, ““FNS’s nutrition assistance programs have a wide-reaching impact on the health and well-being of children. This new program – and the boosted benefit amount for Guam and the CNMI to reflect the higher cost of food – will help approximately 37,000 children across both territories get the nutrition they need when school is out for summer so they can grow, learn, and thrive year-round.”

The Summer EBT is a new program authorized by Congress with bipartisan support over a year ago to progress the goals of hunger, nutrition, and health.

Guam and the CNMI will be among the first to launch this new program.

“We are happy to share this announcement and thank the USDA for their consideration of the challenges faced in communities such as ours and in the CNMI when it comes to logistics impacting the cost of goods. During the summer, as kids are out of school, the costs to provide meals become a greater challenge for many of our families. The programs such as the Summer EBT would bring some relief to pocketbooks while reducing any stress placed upon parents and children alike,” stated Delegate Moylan.

Summer EBT is one of three key strategies USDA is using to tackle child hunger during the summer months.

Families are encouraged to participate in all summer nutrition programs available to them. To learn more about FNS, visit www.fns.usda.gov