Hunger doesn’t take a summer vacation
Most children can’t wait for the bell to ring on the last day of school. But for the millions of Texas children who participate in the free school lunch program, summer brings the loss of those meals — and it’s hard to have fun on an empty belly.
Texas’ decision not to implement Summer EBT in 2024 not only leaves hundreds of millions of dollars in summer food aid on the table, it forces the San Antonio Food Bank and food banks across Texas to pick up the slack.
Texas children won’t get help from the program this summer because of the short timeline and a lack of resources for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, which is grappling with a backlog of SNAP and Medicaid applications.
The Summer EBT program would have filled an important gap when the loss of school meals and higher utility bills reduce families’ budgets for food. It could have also helped relieve the strain on Texas food banks that routinely see more families with children in our lines during the summer.
Texas food banks are already working overtime to meet the increased need from families facing soaring food costs and long wait times for SNAP benefits. The demand for emergency food assistance is outpacing our supply. Food banks can’t make up for a loss of this magnitude.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates 3.75 million Texas students could be eligible to receive approximately $450 million in food aid through the Summer EBT program, which provides families with $120 per eligible child for the summer to buy food. The program is based on the hugely successful pandemic-ebt program, which helped families make up for the loss of school meals.
Summer EBT is important for a state like Texas, where nearly 1 in 6 households — or approximately 4.6 million Texans — are food insecure. This includes 1 in 5 Texas children. Keeping these children nourished during the summer improves nutrition and sends them back to school ready to learn.
These dollars also provide a significant boost to retailers and the local economy, particularly for small businesses for whom federal food benefits are an important revenue source. Because Summer EBT operates off the Lone Star grocery card used for SNAP, it offers an efficient and cost-effective way to get extra assistance to families with children.
In short, Summer EBT could be a big win for Texas and a major strike against childhood hunger.
Texas must provide the Health and Human Services Commission the resources and support it needs to eliminate the backlog and put the wheels in motion to offer Summer EBT in 2025. Food banks can’t afford for our state to leave hundreds of millions of dollars on the table again — and neither can Texas children facing hunger.
Visit safoodbank.org to donate, volunteer or find local food resources in the San Antonio area. Texans outside of San Antonio can visit feedingtexas. org/get-help/ to find a food bank in their area.