SALEM, Ore. — Oregon Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT) will be issued to families who are automatically eligible beginning today, June 5, 2026.

Summer EBT is a food benefits program that helps address hunger in Oregon when children are on summer break and don’t have easy access to healthy meals at school.

Families should check their EBT card balance at www.ebtedge.com to confirm receipt. Summer EBT provides $120 for each eligible child to buy food.

This is the third year of Oregon’s Summer EBT program, which is administered by the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) and Oregon Department of Education (ODE). The program expects to serve about 360,000 children this year.

Families who didn’t automatically get Summer EBT on June 5, 2026, should check program requirements before applying. Families can check requirements at sebt.oregon.gov or by contacting the Summer EBT Call Center at 833-673-7328. The Call Center is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., PDT. Apply online in English and Spanish or with a paper application in multiple languages at sebt.oregon.gov.

“Access to nutritious food is essential to children’s health, well-being, and learning,” Oregon Department of Education Director Dr. Charlene Williams said. “Summer EBT provides important support to families during the summer months, and we encourage eligible families to take advantage of this resource.”

Summer EBT is an evidence-based program proven to reduce child hunger and support healthier diets. With this help, families will be able to spend more than $43 million in their local grocery stores, farmers markets and other places.

“We know summer can be especially hard for families who are already struggling to keep food on the table,” said ODHS Director Liesl Wendt. “When school is out, many children lose access to regular school meals, and no child should have to worry about being hungry. Summer EBT helps families buy healthy food and gives kids the nutrition they need to grow, learn, and enjoy their summer. Our goal is to make sure every eligible child in Oregon can access this support.”

Who is eligible for Summer EBT food benefits?

Families can find details about Summer EBT at sebt.oregon.gov.

Families will get benefits automatically on their Oregon EBT card if they have children between the ages of 6-18 and have received one of the following at any time during the 2025-26 school year:

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance
• Medicaid, if household income is below 185 percent of the federal poverty level
• Foster care services

Families also may automatically receive benefits if they have children who:

• Were determined by their school to have a status as migrant, houseless or runaway.
• Took part in the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations.
• Attended a Head Start program that was part of the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program.

Families may need to apply if:

• Their household meets income requirements for free or reduced-price school meals.
• Their child attends a school that was part of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or School Breakfast Program (SBP).

Important Summer EBT dates:

• June 5, 2026 – The online application opens and applications begin processing.
• Sept. 1, 2026 – Application deadline.
• Sept. 25, 2026 – The Summer EBT call center closes.

Children cannot receive 2026 Summer EBT benefits in multiple states. The program invites families to apply if they have children living in Oregon during the 2025-26 school year. Summer EBT benefits are not considered in a public charge test and are available to children regardless of immigration status.

Additional resources:

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – Portland General Electric (PGE) has filed for regulatory approval of new electricity rates that would increase costs for large data centers while lowering rates for residential and small business customers, the utility announced Wednesday.

The proposed changes, filed under Oregon’s POWER Act regulatory framework, are scheduled to take effect June 10 pending review and approval by the Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC).

Under the proposal, rates for large-load data center customers would increase 29%. Residential customers would see a 1.3% decrease in rates, while small business customers would get a 3.7% reduction. Commercial customers would see a 2.2% decline and industrial customers would get a 1.5% decrease.

The filing follows a May 7 decision by OPUC approving PGE’s implementation of the POWER Act. making it the first utility in Oregon to establish a desperate customer class for data centers and adopt a framework designed to allocate infrastructure costs based on growth-related demand.

PGE said the new structure is intended to ensure customers driving increased electricity costs bear the costs associated with new infrastructure investments.

“Oregon is building a modern regulatory framework that supports responsible growth while keeping customer affordability front and center,” said John McFarland, Chief Customer Officer at PGE. “As energy demand from large-energy users grows, this approach helps ensure the costs of new infrastructure are paid by the customers driving that growth.”

The commission also authorized more measures aimed at managing data center growth, including exit fees, minimum charges and special contracts intended to support clean energy development.

The proposed rate changes remain subject to regulatory review and approval by OPUC.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Thousands of Oregonians have lost Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits over the past year, and advocates say more people could be affected as the state resumes a pandemic-paused eligibility requirement.

Since July 2025, the Oregon Food Bank says 40,000 Oregonians have lost SNAP benefits. The spokesperson for the organization tells KATU they expect that number to increase following the return of mandatory renewal interviews, which resumed on June 1.

“All SNAP households will be required to complete an interview when they apply for or renew benefits,” said Nate Singer, director of the Oregon Eligibility Partnership with the Oregon Department of Human Services.

READ ALSO | ODHS urges Oregonians who lost SNAP to contact agency as some can regain benefits

Singer said the interviews are not new but were temporarily suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic. “During the pandemic, some households were allowed temporarily to renew benefits without an interview,” Singer explained.

A spokesperson for the Oregon Food Bank said an estimated 187,000 Oregon residents could be affected by the renewal interview requirement. The organization did not clarify whether that figure reflects people who may lose benefits entirely or experience reduced assistance.

The Oregon Department of Human Services said some households no longer meet the income requirements to qualify for SNAP benefits. Others have failed to provide the documentation needed to complete the renewal process.