Missouri’s education department has decided not to apply for federal relief money that was helping to provide food assistance to families. The Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer Program started in 2020 with a goal of offering $120 food help to families with children who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, or who attend a school in a low-income area when many schools were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The state participated in the past, but has decided not to take part in the program this year. It means more than 350,000 Missouri kids will not benefit from that federal food program. This year the education department cited a number of challenges throughout the process due to the federal requirements with accessing and administering the benefits, plus the limitations of the state and local data collection systems.