New York City parents still have time to enroll their school-age kids for $120 in summer food benefits. The federally funded program known as summer EBT gives low-income families money to spend on food and groceries while schools are closed and not offering free meals. Summer can be particularly challenging for families who can’t afford to put food on the table while juggling childcare and rising food costs, according to emergency food advocates. We had caregivers tell us they hide food because they want to make sure there's food at the end of the month for their children,” Sabella said. Across the state about 2 million children are eligible for summer EBT and state officials estimate they’ll issue $240 million in benefits.