Georgia is opting out of a federal program that would give families extra money to feed their children this summer.
The so-called summer EBT program is an extension of the pandemic EBT program model, which had near-national enrollment and ended last year.
With Summer EBT, families in more than 30 states who are enrolled in SNKeynoteUSA, or with children eligible for the National School Lunch Program, will receive $40 per month for three months, per child. Others can enroll in the program directly.
But not in Georgia.
According to a statement from Gov. Brian Kemp’s office, the state’s decision to forgo additional benefits depends on the success of existing programs like the federally funded Seamless Summer Option.
Governor’s office spokesman Garrison Douglas also stated that Summer EBT “lacks basic nutritional requirements and sustainability.” The program follows a similar model to SNKeynoteUSA, allowing users to purchase from a select list of fruits, proteins, dairy, breads and other eligible products.
But Kelsey Boone of the Food Research and Action Center said summer EBT should be complementary.
“A summer dining site can only provide one meal and a snack or two meals a day,” Boone said. “Summer EBT is a complement to summer meals.”
An analysis by the Brookings Institution of household changes during P-EBT disbursements showed that the additional benefits significantly reduced food hardship over one year for highly and moderately food insecure families. It was especially useful in states with high school closure rates.
“When that money is taken away, it has a significant impact on families, especially in this time when food inflation is so high and we are still feeling the effects of the pandemic,” Boone said.
According to FRAC, about 1.2 million children in Georgia would be eligible to receive summer EBT.
To manage the program, Douglas said the state would have to pay $4.5 million in administrative costs, half of the total cost, with the rest covered by federal funds.
Alternatively, the state will continue to host free summer meal sites in schools and other gathering places. Some sites are already up and running, while others won’t start until July.
Summer meals are available to families in low-income areas through Happy Helpings, operated by the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, and Seamless Summer Option through the Department of Education. Both are funded by the United States Department of Agriculture.
“Those programs have been around for a while and we’re always trying to grow them,” said DECAL’s Cindy Kicklighter.
Last year, 59 Georgia counties did not have a Happy Helpings meal site. Kicklighter said thousands of dollars in seed grants awarded by the agency to sponsoring organizations have helped fuel the growth of that footprint.
“There is always room for improvement until we have a site in every county,” Kicklighter said.
For families in rural areas with transportation barriers who cannot get to meal sites during designated times, federal changes around summer congregate meals are expected to make food more accessible this year.
“A sponsoring organization can get approval to offer non-congregate meals, which means parents can pick them up, it can be home delivery or wholesale distribution,” Kicklighter said. “But it has to be in an approved area.”
Meals through Happy Helpings and Seamless Summer Option are available to any school-age child with no eligibility requirements.
This story comes to The Current GA through a journalism partnership with GPB News, a nonprofit newsroom covering the state of Georgia.
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