NEW YORK -- New York parents of children who have missed out on free meals at school because of the COVID pandemic are receiving food assistance in the form of electronic benefit transfer cards.

Families receiving SNAP benefits or Medicaid should have already received food assistance added to their EBT or Benefit Identification cards. The P-EBT cards that are being distributed this month are going to the parents of New York kids who are in school districts with universal free lunch or who receive pre-approved reduced-price meals but whose families don't receive those other benefits.

According to Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, that's about 2 million children statewide.

"They will allow people to purchase food at most grocery stores, some farmers' markets. You should get about $400 per kid in school," Berg said.

Qualified parents who have not received the cards by September 15 should call the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance at 833-452-0096.

Berg emphasized the federally funded program applies to middle-income and immigrant families who are suffering the economic impact of the pandemic but may not qualify for SNAP benefits.

"Undocumented children will also be fed by this program, which I think is absolutely vital, because many of their parents are doing the hardest jobs for the lowest wages and undocumented kids often go hungry," he said. "But this will also help working people who are slightly above the SNAP income eligibility limits."

The program was funded by the Family First Act passed by Congress early this year. But unless new legislation is passed soon, it will expire at the end of September.

A recent poll found half of cash-strapped public-school families in New York City report reducing the size or frequency of meals for their kids. Berg said the economic crisis brought on by the pandemic is far from over.

"There is a grave need for this to be extended, and the HEROES Act which passed the House of Representatives includes an extension and expansion of P-EBT," he said.

Leadership in the U.S. Senate has not allowed the HEROES Act to go to the floor for a vote.

Maine is seeking proposals for a grant opportunity to support local food producers and production and assist low-income residents in accessing local food.

A bill passed and signed into law last year allocated $25,000 to provide incentives for residents receiving food and nutrition benefits to purchase locally grown fruits and vegetables, and increased outreach about them.

Genna Cherichello, Maine Senior FarmShare program manager for the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, said nutrition incentives are critical because local producers often have higher costs than large agriculture corporations.

"It creates a little bit more freedom for folks on these food and nutrition assistance programs to select local food if they want to," Cherichello explained. "It also is an additional funding stream for our local producers."

Cherichello added the state dollars may also be used to leverage additional federal, local or private funding, for opportunities that require a match.

Maine's Climate Action Plan includes a goal of increasing local food production from 10% to 30% by 2030, to support farmers, fishing and aquaculture harvesters, as well as make communities more resilient.

Cherichello added it is an exciting opportunity to bring state support to organizations and programs that have been around for years and know their communities' needs.

"If your organization works with local food producers, or low-income folks who receive food and nutrition assistance, and you're interested in expanding your existing efforts to connect those low-income people with food grown in Maine, we would all love to see your application," Cherichello stated.

Groups doing such work in Maine include Farm Fresh Rewards, which is run through the Good Shepherd Food Bank, and Maine Harvest Bucks, with the Maine Federation of Farmers' Markets. Applications for the grant opportunity are due in less than a month, on June 21st.

Virginia's food banks are facing a perfect storm of issues. High inflation for everyday goods is driving up food costs for lower-income families, all while food banks are working to overcome supply-chain issues to keep their shelves stocked.

Eddie Oliver, executive director of the Federation of Virginia Food Banks, which oversees seven regional food banks across the state, said since many pandemic stimulus benefits have expired, the financial reserves lower-income families built have started to drop off.

"While families are getting squeezed, they're turning more and more to food banks for assistance," Oliver pointed out. "Meanwhile, our operational expenses are going up. So it's challenging on many fronts."

Oliver noted the best way to support a local food bank is through financial support, which will help them keep up with the surge in grocery prices. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), grocery prices are anticipated to increase between 5% and 6% in 2022.

According to Feeding America, nearly a quarter-million Virginia children are food insecure, and nearly half of households receiving SNAP benefits have children.

On top of the supply-chain issues and inflation, Oliver emphasized the end of the school semester also will be an exacerbating factor in the coming weeks.

"School meal access is coming to an end here as schools are about to let out for the summer," Oliver observed. "Meanwhile, we're seeing the highest inflation we've seen in decades, which of course disproportionately impacts low-income families."

The USDA extended free school lunches to kids throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but the program will end at the conclusion of this school year. The Virginia Poverty Law Center reported pre-COVID, more than 460,000 Virginia students received free and reduced-cost school meals daily.

Oregonians are casting their ballots for Tuesday's primary election. One issue affecting many voters is access to child care.

Courtney Helstein, senior political director with the organization Family Forward Oregon, said child-care affordability was a problem before COVID-19 and the pandemic has only exacerbated it.

She said women, particularly women of color, have felt the disproportionate impacts of care costs and accessibility. Helstein said the costs mean some have to make tough decisions.

"The result of all these high costs is that too many families are actually forced to choose between child care, between meals, between other basic necessities," said Helstein. "And they're also having to weigh the financial costs of, 'Is it actually more cost effective for me and my family for me to not work?'"

Helstein said demand has never been higher for child care, but workers in the field are among the lowest paid in the country.

She said there have been some successes in the Oregon Legislature, including investments in early childhood learning and community-led pilot projects.

Matt Newell-Ching, senior policy manager with the nonpartisan nonprofit Oregon Food Bank, said access to child care is a hunger issue.

The food bank surveyed candidates for governor about food insecurity, and their responses are posted on its website.

Newell-Ching said there's a question about child care because Oregon Food Bank believes it will continue to be an issue for Oregon families.

"Whoever the next governor is," said Newell-Ching, "we believe it's critical that we as a state come together to ensure kids have a safe place to be while parents are working because it impacts every communities' ability to rebuild and thrive."

Helstein said we need to look at child care differently.

"We're seeing the beginning of this culture shift," said Helstein, "across the country, but definitely in the state of Oregon, of really starting to reframe access to child care from kind of like a personal problem to a societal problem, to a community benefit."

The deadline to vote in Oregon's primary is Tuesday. Drop sites for ballots will be open until 8 p.m.

Reporting by Oregon News Service funded in part by Oregon Food Bank.