More details have been released about how families will receive the monetary equivalent for meals missed since schools closed in March.

Federal benefits, called Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer, or P-EBT, will be available in May, according to a press release from the Alabama Department of Human Resources Thursday evening. That's $313.50 for each eligible child.

The money is for children who are enrolled in school in grades K-12 and are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. For the 2019-20 school year, around 445,000 Alabama children, or 62% of all students in schools, are eligible.

This includes students who attend schools that participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision, which allows all children at the school to eat free meals, even if families do not otherwise qualify for SNAP or other government assistance.

Children can continue to participate in meal service programs provided by their schools in addition to receiving the monetary benefits. P-EBT benefits may be used at any store that accepts SNAP and can be used to purchase SNAP eligible food items, according to DHR.

Families who are already eligible for SNAP will automatically receive benefits through electronic benefit transfer, or EBT, cards beginning in May, according to the press release. Just over 257,000 children are eligible for SNAP benefits, according to the official application DHR completed.

Families who are not already eligible for SNAP but whose children attend a school where all students receive free meals will receive a letter notifying them of their eligibility. To receive benefits, those families must verify information and then choose to participate. An EBT card will then be sent with benefits for March, April and May. An estimated 150,000 children could be eligible under this provision, according to DHR estimates.

The total cost for providing the assistance to families is projected to be $121 million, according to the official application DHR completed.

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"Making sure that our children receive healthy, nutritious, and regular meals has been a top priority since March 13," Alabama State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey said. "Health and fitness and nutrition are foundational to quality physical, emotional, and intellectual development.”

The amount of benefits available is $5.70 per day and is calculated based on the number of weekdays schools are closed. Benefits are calculated based on when schools closed on March 19 (12 days) through April (22 days) and May (21 days) through the 29th.

When schools first closed in March, most school districts continued providing meals to students through drive-thru grab-and-go style lunches.

When closures were extended beyond April 3 to last through the end of the school year, many school districts suspended their programs, citing public health and safety concerns for their employees and the families they served.

Related: One Alabama county relies on army of volunteers to keep feeding children

Food bank officials said the result of schools suspending their programs shifted the burden to food banks, while schools were best positioned to continue helping children who needed meals.

Six other states, Michigan, Rhode Island, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Arizona, and Illinois, received approval in recent weeks.

Updated: 11:15 a.m. to clarify that all children enrolled in K-12 school who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals are eligible for the P-EBT benefits. Added information about the number of children in SNAP and non-SNAP households that could receive benefits and the total cost.