Eagle Pass Independent School District Parents Encouraged to Apply for $1,200 Food Aid for 2021-2022 School Year
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2021
Eagle Pass Independent School District Superintendent Samuel Mijares announced at a press conference held on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, that all District students are eligible to receive up to $1,200 in food aid for the 2021-2022 school year from the United States Department of Agriculture through the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
Superintendent Mijares stated that since the Eagle Pass Independent School District qualifies as a low-income food program district all of its students are eligible to receive the $1,200 food aid for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year regardless of the parents income provided a parent applies for it online. The link to apply for the $1,200 food aid program for each student or child is available at the Eagle Pass Independent School District website.
Mijares encouraged all Eagle Pass Independent School District parents to apply for the $1,200 food benefit for each child of theirs that attends the local school district. For instance, Mijares stated that he had already applied for the $1,200 food aid benefit for his children. Mijares reportedly makes over $150,000 per year plus benefits as Superintendent at Eagle Pass Independent School District.
The Eagle Pass Independent School District website reports there are 14,300 students enrolled in the local district. If each parent applied for the $1,200 food aid benefit for each child of theirs, the potential economic benefit to the Eagle Pass and Maverick County economy can be up to $17,160,000 (million).
According to economists, a dollar has an eight-fold economic impact in a local community’s economy before leaving the community. Thus, if all parents in the Eagle Pass Independent School District were to apply for each of their children, totaling 14,330, the $17,160,000 direct economic aid would transform into a potentially $137,280,000 (million) economic impact to the Eagle Pass and Maverick County economy.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture food aid benefit program of $1,200 per child for the 2021-2022 is part of the federal government COVID-19 Pandemic aid program under President Joe Biden. Last year, the Pandemic EBT Card only provided a one-time benefit of $285 per student receiving free and reduced-price meals. The 2021-2022 Pandemic EBT Card food aid benefit of $1,200 is $915 more than last year’s benefit.
Maverick County Judge David R. Saucedo also stated that every Maverick County parent of an Eagle Pass Independent School District student should apply for the new $1,200 food aid benefit for the 2021-2022 through the Eagle Pass Independent School District website. Saucedo noted that a parent’s income is irrelevant since the Eagle Pass Independent School District receives free meals or reduced-price meals for every student in the district.
Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas reiterated what Superintendent Mijares and County Judge Saucedo stated that every parent of a local school district student/child are highly encouraged to apply and receive this one time benefit to assist their families with the rising costs of food and to provide a strong boost to the local economy.
