HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) – Starting Thursday, Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer, or P-EBT, money is being loaded onto cards for the final time for families of eligible school-aged kids in Virginia. That funding is coming to a halt because the public health emergency ended.

But it’s important to know there are additional resources for families, who may need help feeding their kids this summer.

“We know that food insecurity takes a toll on mental health too with families having to make tough trade offs between buying food and paying a utility bill or buying food and paying a medical bill and kids really internalize that stress,” said No Kid Hungry Virginia Director Sarah Steely.

Summer is a tough time for kids who may not know where their next meal is coming from.

There are dozens of programs out there that feed kids when school isn’t in session, but Director of No Kid Hungry Virginia, Sarah Steely said only 15% of kids in the state are taking advantage.

“We are missing 85% of the students who rely on school meals during the school year so it’s really important to spread the word about the availability of meal programs,” said Steely.

Steely said that sometimes there can be barriers in the way for families to get to these programs.

“Transportation is a big one – kids may not have the ability to get a ride to a meal site, maybe because of a parent work schedule,” said Steely. “Or maybe it’s not a walkable area.”

And with prices of groceries rising, it can be tough for families to put food on the table.

P-EBT grocery benefits are being issued for the final time this month for eligible families with school-aged kids, but there is hope for similar benefits in the future.

“Congress did authorize a permanent summer EBT Program that will continue to provide families with grocery benefits in the summer,” Steely said, “and unlike pandemic which was an emergency response summer EBT will be permanent.”

Steely said this just recently passed, so details are still being worked out. States will have to opt in, but they’re hopeful those benefits will continue for families.

So in the meantime, to find free meals for your kids, you can use No Kid Hungry’s text service. Text FOOD or COMIDA to 304-304 and type in your address or just your zip code.

“They’ll be prompted to enter their address or at a bare minimum their zip code,” Steely said, “and it will respond with three locations, addresses and times and all the information they need to know.”

Steely said it’s not just schools on the list. There are also places such as food banks, parks and recreation departments or the YMCA, all of which have their different meal sites. All of them, she said, are combined on the texting line.

The P-EBT money was originally scheduled to load onto cards Saturday, but due to system maintenance, some families started getting that money Thursday.

SNAP households with children under 6 are not eligible to receive summer P-EBT benefits.