Montana rejects $36.6 million for food assistance

The State of Montana may be leaving $36.6 million for hungry children on the table — for summer 2022 alone — if it does not submit a plan to receive another round of Pandemic EBT benefits from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to a March 11 letter to Gov. Greg Gianforte and state Health Department Director Adam Meier.

“This is not only money that can provide nutrition to children, but federal dollars that would be infused into Montana’s state economy,” said the letter from the Montana Food Bank Network signed by 60 organizations.

The Health Department could not be reached for comment via email late Monday afternoon on whether it might reverse course. A spokesperson for the Governor’s Office also could not be reached for comment via an email sent late Monday afternoon.

By: Keila Szpaller