RyeCity REVIEW THE
June 18, 2021 | Vol. 9, Number 22 | www.ryecityreview.com
$2.2M in food assistance for school children
Class of their own The Rye lacrosse team celebrates its first-ever Class B championship on June 12. The Garnets topped Yorktown 11-7 at Nugent Stadium. For more, see page 16. Photo/Mike Smith
County partners with ArtsWestchester to celebrate Juneteenth Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Jun Jun and Liberation Day, is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the U.S. In 2021, it is being recognized as an official New York State holiday. Westchester County, ArtsWestchester, the Westchester African American Advisory Board, White Plains Juneteenth Heritage Inc. and the Juneteenth Committees of Mt. Vernon, Peekskill, Yonkers and Irvington have partnered up to celebrate Juneteenth Countywide. “Juneteenth is a day to cel-
ebrate freedom,” County Executive George Latimer said. “Freedom from oppression, freedom to be thrive, freedom to just be free. We recognize this freedom has too easily been denied for too long. Take this day to educate yourself about its true meaning and join us Countywide to celebrate that true, powerful meaning.” Added Janet Langsam, ArtsWestchester CEO, “We are particularly proud to have collaborated with so many of the tradition keepers of Juneteenth’s call to remember—Westchester’s many African American
organizations and Juneteenth committees—in order to create a comprehensive calendar of Juneteenth events in Westchester.” Below is a list of celebrations in the month-long series of Juneteenth activities in Westchester:
Bedford June 19: Idea Committee of Bedford will present Juneteenth: Freedom Day at Bedford Village Memorial Park. This outdoor event will discuss the history of Juneteenth and Bedford’s Black history told by members
of the community, with performances by Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation and live jazz by Shirazette and Sonic Wallpaper Band. 2 p.m.-4 p.m. Idea Committee of Bedford is also challenging Elementary, Middle and High School students to create a poster that depicts the inventive ways African Americans advocated for, and ensured, their own freedom. Posters must be dropped off on June 5 or June 12 between 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Katonah Space. JUNETEENTH continued on page 10
On June 13, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced an estimated $2.2 billion in federal food assistance for children in New York State that were unable to access free school meals due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Administered by the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer program will provide eligible students $132 in food benefits for each month they fully participated in remote learning and $82 in food benefits for each month they participated in hybrid learning during the 2020-21 school year. “For many families across the state, free school meals provide a critical stop-gap and the ongoing pandemic has only made it harder for those already grappling with food insecurity,” Cuomo said. “This funding will help school children throughout our state access critical food assistance at a time when so many families are trying to make ends meet.” Starting June 14, food benefits will begin being issued to children enrolled to receive free school meals but had their in-person school attendance reduced due to the pandemic. Children that participated in remote learning for more than 12 school days during a given month will receive $132 for that month; children who learned remotely for at least one school day but no more than 12 days in each month will receive $82 for that month. About 2.5 million children throughout the state are enrolled to receive free school meals during the 2020-21 academic year. Families will not need to apply for the benefits, which will be distributed in two phases: One beginning now and extending through late July that will cover fall semester benefits; and another beginning sometime in late July and extending through August that will cover spring semester benefits.
Eligible children who are in families that are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP, will see their benefits posted to that household’s regular EBT card. The households of all other eligible children will receive a letter informing them of their benefit availability and how to access them. Children under the age of 5 who are part of a SNAP household will be eligible for P-EBT food benefits to replace meals missed due to the closure of childcare facilities during the pandemic. These benefits will cover closures since October 2020. The families of children who received P-EBT cards by mail for the first-round last year will see the latest round of benefits posted to the same card if they are still eligible. If they no longer have these cards, they may request a replacement by contacting the automated P-EBT helpline at 1-888-328-6399. Newly-eligible students who are not part of a SNAP household or in a family receiving temporary assistance will be issued a P-EBT card by mail along with instructions on how to activate it. “P-EBT food benefits provided important assistance to millions of New Yorkers that previously relied on free school lunches in order to avoid food insecurity,” OTDA Commissioner Mike Hein said. “This latest round of assistance will help ensure that an even greater number of children have access to proper nutrition, even if they are unable to attend school in person.” by the pandemic can access the nutritious foods that they need in order to thrive.” Like regular SNAP benefits, these Pandemic EBT benefits can be used to purchase food at authorized retail food stores. New Yorkers can also use these benefits to purchase groceries online from authorized retailers. (Submitted)