Pandemic food benefits left unspent could affect schools

Pandemic food benefits for hundreds of thousands of California children were never spent, according to a new state audit. The California Department of Social Services is searching now for those families, according to the Sacramento Bee.

During school closures, the federal government authorized special payments to families with children who were eligible for free or reduced-price school meals. However, California sent the payments out in a delayed manner.

About 500,000 of the 3.4 million pandemic electronic benefit transfer cards — or P-EBT cards — have not been used at all as of last month, adding up to $182 million in food benefits.