Official Site of The State of New Jersey

(TRENTON) – The New Jersey Department of Agriculture, in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Human Services and the New Jersey Innovation Authority, with support from the New Jersey Department of Education and the New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate, has announced that more than 681,000 eligible children across the state will begin receiving Summer EBT benefits in the coming days. New Jersey is participating in this permanent, nationwide USDA program, now in its third year of operation, to provide food dollars to low-income families with school-aged children over the summer months when school is not in session.
For Summer 2026, the NJ Summer EBT program will continue to provide families with a one-time Summer EBT benefit amount of $120 per eligible child to buy nutritious food at grocery stores, farmers markets, and other authorized retailers during the summer months. New Jersey’s total Summer EBT distribution is expected to amount to over $94 million in existing federal food security benefits that will be infused into New Jersey’s local economy. As the school year comes to an end, more than 681,000 eligible children across 734 participating school food authorities are receiving benefits under the NJ Summer EBT program.
“Just because the school season ends it does not mean we stop taking steps to feed students,” said Ed Wengryn, NJ Secretary of Agriculture. “Summer EBT cards provide needed financial support for families to expand food purchasing power while schools are in recess.”
Under the program, eligible students are certified through their school districts, which must participate in the National School Lunch and federal School Breakfast Programs. Eligible students must meet the income threshold for federal free and federal reduced-price school meals, including those who attend schools that provide free meals to all students through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). Additionally, school-aged children (6-16) who are enrolled in SNAP, TANF, income-eligible Medicaid, or foster care will be directly eligible for Summer EBT, regardless of where they attend school. Families can check their child’s Summer EBT eligibility here. The School Meals and Summer EBT Application will be accepted throughout the summer. To apply for School Meals and Summer EBT benefits, families should contact their local school district.
The Department of Human Services’ Division of Family Development has issued eligible families new benefit cards for Summer 2026. Each eligible child will be provided with a card. Families will be able to use the $120 food benefit per eligible child on each card upon activation. Recipients can check their account balance by visiting www.NJFamiliesFirst.com, using the ConnectEBT mobile app, or by calling the phone number on the back of their card. This funding will be issued only once, and eligible families have 122 days (four months) to use their Summer EBT funds. If families do not use all of the funds within that time frame, the money will be removed from the card.
“As families face uncertainty about food assistance programs, Summer EBT helps ensure children continue to have access
to nutritious food when school is out," said Department of Human Services Commissioner Stephen Cha. "This support helps families supplement their food budgets and keep healthy meals on the table during the summer break."
"Perhaps no single issue is more urgent than making sure New Jersey children have access to nutritious food," said New Jersey State Chief Innovation Officer Dave Cole. "With NJDA, we combed through enrollment information of several state programs to determine eligibility, reduced deduplication, accurately identified thousands of eligible students, and helped ensure program integrity. Thank you, again, to the Department of Agriculture and our other State partners for working to provide this assistance to New Jersey families."
“The Summer EBT program continues to make a meaningful difference for children across New Jersey by ensuring they have access to nutritious food when school is out,” said Dr. Lily Laux, Commissioner of Education. “School meals can be a lifeline for many students during the school year, and Summer EBT helps bridge that gap during the summer months. This support helps students stay healthy and ready to learn when they return to school in the fall.”
“As working families are navigating higher grocery bills and more, Summer EBT is a way for New Jersey to assist our students and families who rely on the nourishment and stability that school meals provide during the school year. For these families, the summer break upends their carefully managed household budgets and can create greater challenges for the steady access of food during the months when schools are closed,” said Mark Dinglasan, Executive Director of the New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate. “Summer EBT is a powerful way to mitigate such challenges and has a positive ripple effect across our communities. Summer EBT supports the dignity and agency of families to shop for the nourishing foods their children need and want, in ways that make sense to them, including this year’s new eligibility to place online food orders for pickup or delivery from any retailer that accepts SNAP. Those purchases mean sales for local retailers and for our farmers who sell their harvests and products through farm stands, farmers’ markets and more. Plus, Summer EBT can supplement services families may receive from food pantries and other community-based organizations, ensuring a more sustainable way of supporting families during the summer. New Jersey is proud to be among the states that have decided to participate in Summer EBT since the start of this federal program, and I appreciate and congratulate all of the state agencies who continue to work collaboratively with each other and with communities to serve our children and families on such a large scale.”
For more information about New Jersey’s Summer EBT program, including eligibility criteria, frequently asked questions, and additional contact details, please visit the State’s official Summer EBT website at: https://www.nj.gov/summerebt/
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The New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA), established in 1916, serves New Jersey’s agricultural community and residents through a wide range of programs across its divisions that ensure the preservation and continuation of the state’s agricultural landscape.  NJDA works to ensure the safety and quality of New Jersey’s food supply, protect animal and plant health, and promote the overall long‑term viability of agriculture. The Department also connects consumers with New Jersey’s farmers and locally grown products while supporting the state’s diverse agricultural industry through initiatives of the Jersey Fresh program.  

For more information about the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NJDeptofAgriculture and www.facebook.com/JerseyFreshOfficial; on Instagram @njdeptofagriculture; on X/Twitter @NJDA and @JerseyFreshNJDA; and on LinkedIn at New Jersey Department of Agriculture.