More than $305 million will be provided to the emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food benefits through the month of August as the state continues its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a Tuesday news release, Gov. Greg Abbott announced the extension of the benefits and the funding that is provided by his office and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. 

The emergency August allotments are in addition to the more than $7.6 billion in benefits previously provided to Texans since April 2020, the news release stated.

“HHSC received federal approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to extend the maximum, allowable amount of SNAP benefits to recipients based on family size, and all SNAP households will receive a minimum of $95 in emergency allotments,” the news release stated. “This additional emergency allotment should appear in recipients’ accounts by Aug. 31."

SNAP provides food assistance to approximately 1.5 million eligible Texas households. Texans in need can apply for benefits, including SNAP and Medicaid, at YourTexasBenefits.com.