Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana kids are among those nationwide who will benefit from a new, federal nutrition program this summer.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program will be targeted to children who are food insecure during the summer months, when school is out. The three states are among 35 states, all five U.S. territories and four Tribes that will take part, even as another others declined the federal food assistance offer.

The federal food and nutrition service is similar to the COVID-19 pandemic program that was offered to eligible families when schools were out during the crisis.

Summer food benefits:Who opted out and why?

Ohio expects the benefits to total around $100 million, serving between 800,000 and 850,000 students, said Bill Teets, communications director for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. The agency and the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce jointly run the program in Ohio. Each child’s benefit would come to $120 over the course of the summer.

While all 50 states administer the Summer Food Program, which provides meals at selected sites, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that in-person summer meal sites historically reach 1 in 6 kids who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals during the school year. The new summer program, according to the USDA, can help fill that gap.