Federal officials today okayed a plan to help replace school lunches for hungry children.

USDA Sec. Sonny Perdue announced Alabama has been approved to operate the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer, or P-EBT, a new program authorized by the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

The new program provides monetary assistance to families of children eligible for free or reduced-price meals who are no longer able to access those meals because schools are closed.

“We are thrilled that Alabama’s application through (the Department of Human Resources) has been approved,” Alabama State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey said.

“Making sure that our children receive healthy, nutritious, and regular meals has been a top priority since March 13. Health and fitness and nutrition are foundational to quality physical, emotional, and intellectual development.”

DHR, which is the agency in charge of operating the P-EBT program, has not provided a time frame within which families can expect to receive the benefits. A spokesperson for the agency said, “DHR staff is reviewing the approval notification for steps to implement the P-EBT benefit.” The application was originally submitted April 7.

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The benefit could provide around $130 per child per month, according to previously published information.

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

For the 2019-20 school year, around 445,000 Alabama children, or 62% of all students in schools, are eligible to receive free and reduced-priced meals.

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

Related: As Alabama schools end meal programs, burden shifts to food banks