The Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) and Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) have announced the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (Summer EBT) application is now available, though many families will receive the benefit automatically and won’t need to apply. The Summer EBT initiative provides essential nutritional support to children during the summer months when school meals are unavailable, ensuring they receive the food they need to grow and thrive.
Building on the success of last year's program, which served approximately 290,000 children, the 2025 Summer EBT will offer $120 in food benefits per eligible child. These funds will be distributed via pre-loaded EBT cards, allowing families to purchase groceries and maintain access to nutritious meals throughout the summer. The Summer EBT program supplements free meal options at summer meal sites in communities across Arkansas.
“No child should ever go hungry. That’s why I signed Arkansas up for Summer EBT last year, serving more than a quarter million kids, and why I signed legislation this session to fund this program into the future and give free school breakfast to every kid in our state,” said Governor Sanders. “Continuing Summer EBT won’t just help us combat childhood food insecurity – it helps us make Arkansas an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.”
DHS Secretary Kristi Putnam underscored the program's significance in addressing food insecurity: “Ensuring children have nutritious food to eat is one of our top priorities, and we are committed to doing everything we can to fight food insecurity in our state. Summer EBT helps families feed children healthy and nutritious meals even when schools are out of session. We are proud to participate for a second year in a row and grateful to Governor Sanders for her leadership and support on this critical issue."
"For many students, school is the only place where they receive a healthy meal, and during the summer months, those insecurities double,” ADE Secretary Jacob Oliva said. “We are pleased to join Governor Sanders and DHS for the Summer EBT program again this year to help remove some of the food insecurity barriers and ensure students have access to food."
Automatic eligibility for Summer EBT extends to school-aged children who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and those who have been individually determined to be eligible for free or reduced-price meals. If a child attends a school where everyone receives free lunches, an application must be submitted for DHS to determine eligibility based on income and household size. For more information about Summer EBT and to determine eligibility, families are encouraged to visit ar.gov/SummerEBT.
For those who need to apply, the application is available at that website and at Access.Arkansas.gov. Notices will begin to be mailed this week to families who automatically qualify.
One key change in this year’s program from the previous year is how families will receive their benefits. Families who received Summer EBT cards last year and are eligible again this year will have their 2025 benefits loaded onto their existing cards. Families who are eligible this year but did not receive benefits last year will be mailed a new card to the address on file with DHS. Families who received benefits last year and are eligible again this year – but have lost their cards – can call (800) 997-9999 to request a replacement card.