Mississippi: 14,000 Pandemic Food Cards Mistakenly Deactivated

Boxes containing the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to beryllium shipped astatine the McKesson organisation halfway successful Olive Branch, Miss., connected Dec. 20, 2020. (Paul Sancya/Pool via Reuters)

JACKSON, Miss.—More than 14,000 low-income children successful Mississippi had their pandemic nutrient cards mistakenly deactivated, prompting an apology from authorities officials and a committedness that caller cards would beryllium mailed to their families wrong days.

Children with an apostrophe successful their archetypal oregon past names each had their cards deactivated Monday by a processing partner, the Mississippi Department of Human Services said successful a quality release. It said that section and the Mississippi Department of Education were notified of the mistake connected Tuesday.

The cards are meant to supply national assistance to families of children who suffice for escaped oregon reduced-price meals astatine schoolhouse during the 2020-21 world year.

“We apologize for this error,” the authorities Department of Human Services said successful its statement, attributing to the mistake to a contractual vendor. “Children volition not suffer immoderate benefits due to the fact that of this error.”

The authorities bureau said replacement cards person been issued for the children impacted by the mistake and, according to the release, parents should person their children’s caller cards successful the message wrong 7 to 10 days astatine the aforesaid code arsenic the archetypal card.