Updated: 5:07 PM CDT May 12, 2021 DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Human Services and Department of Education announced Wednesday the distribution plan for food assistance benefits for eligible Iowa school children impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) cards are being distributed through "multiple rounds of mailings" starting this week, so officials are advising parents to check their mail for their cards. “We want to make Iowa families aware of the arrival of the P-EBT cards to prevent families from throwing the envelopes away, not realizing what they contain,” said Janee Harvey, DHS Division Administrator of Adult, Child and Family Services.