Families of every child in NYC public schools to receive $420 for food

NEW YORK - In August, parents of every New York City public school student will receive $420 per enrolled child. You'll get a letter from a state office that you've never heard of along with what is called a PEBT card in your child's name. 

So don't throw it away because it is real. The program is part of the stimulus bill that Congress passed in March. The $420 on the card is to buy food at supermarkets and even green markets. 

Families will receive the money that would have been spent on school lunches if kids had been in school in the past four months during the coronavirus pandemic.

You don't have to apply for the card and will receive it regardless of your income. That is because Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2017 established universal free lunch for any student regardless of income.

But even if you have a higher income, you are urged to spend the money anyway to help inject cash into the economy, such as at your local grocery store and farmer's market.