Check your mailbox: Some California children will receive up to $365 for emergency food during pandemic

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- If you have a child eligible for free or reduced price lunches at school, start checking your mailbox now for a one-time payment for emergency food. The payments range up to $365 per child.

The California Department of Social Services is sending out payments on debit cards that are expected to arrive at homes between May 12 and May 22.

RELATED: Western States Pact jointly request $1 trillion from federal government, Gov. Gavin Newsom announces

The payment cards are labeled "P-EBT" which stands for Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer. The payments are in addition to any other aid your child may already be receiving.

Most families with children who have applied for CalFresh, Medi-Cal or Foster Care benefits will get their P-EBT card in the mail automatically according to a department spokesman. About 3.8 million California children are expected to receive this benefit.

Applications for CalFresh, the state's version of food stamps, are skyrocketing. Preliminary figures for the first three weeks of April show more than 264,000 applications, compared to about 119,000 for the same period last year.

Families with children who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals and who do not get CalFresh, Medi-Cal or Foster Care benefits can apply for Pandemic EBT benefits online starting on May 22 and must apply online by June 30, 2020. After that, no more applications will be accepted.

The cards can be used to buy food only and are accepted at most grocery stores and farmer's markets.

To apply online starting May 22, 2020, go to this link: https://ca.p-ebt.org/

If you apply online and do not receive your P-EBT card, call California's EBT customer service center at (877) 328-9677. It is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you have a question or comment about the coronavirus pandemic, submit yours via the form below or here.

Get the latest news, information and videos about the novel coronavirus pandemic hereRELATED STORIES & VIDEOS:

• COVID-19 Help: Comprehensive list of resources, information
• INTERACTIVE TIMELINE: How close was CA to becoming a NY-level crisis?
• Live updates about coronavirus outbreak in US, around the world
• What will it take to get a COVID-19 vaccine and how will it be made?
• How California's COVID-19 cases stack up against other hot spot states
• Everything you need to know about the Bay Area's shelter-in-place order
• Coronavirus Timeline: Tracking major moments of COVID-19 pandemic in San Francisco Bay Area/
• List: Where can I get tested for COVID-19 in the Bay Area?
• COVID-19Diaries: Personal stories of Bay Area residents during novel coronavirus pandemic
• Coronavirus Doctor's Note: Dr. Alok Patel gives his insight into COVID-19 pandemic
• What does COVID-19 do to your body and why does it spread so easily?
• Stimulus calculator: How much money should you expect from coronavirus relief bill
• WATCH: 'Race & Coronavirus: A Bay Area Conversation' virtual town hall about COVID-19 impact on Asian American community
• WATCH: 'Race & Coronavirus: A Bay Area Conversation' virtual town hall about COVID-19 impact on African American community
• What Bay Area tenants need to know about rent payments, eviction amid COVID-19 outbreak
• Here's how shelter in place, stay at home orders can slow spread of COVID-19
• Symptoms, prevention, and how to prepare for a COVID-19 outbreak in the US
• List of stores, companies closing due to coronavirus pandemic
• Canceled late fees, free services available amid COVID-19 crisis
• Here's how you can help during COVID-19 pandemic
• How to maintain learning during school closures
• No masks but here are 100+ products that may help protect you against novel coronavirus germs
• Here's a look at some of history's worst pandemics that have killed millions