Nebraska will be opting out of a new federal child nutrition program this summer.
The state does not intend to participate in Summer EBT, a new federal program that would give $120 in EBT (food stamps/ SNAP) benefits to students who receive free or reduced-price lunch at school. The program would have provided about $18 million in benefits to be distributed to about 150,000 low-income children in Nebraska who experience food insecurity in the summer months.
Nebraska would have expenses of about $300,000 annually in administrative costs. This calculates to $2 per child who would have received Summer EBT.
Fifteen state senators, from both political parties, urged the Department of Health and Human Services and the Governor to reconsider accepting the federal money, which they said would both ensure that Nebraska addresses the needs of its vulnerable children and benefit the state economically.
The state had until January 1 to “express interest” in participation with the USDA to have the option to participate this summer. The non-profit organization Nebraska Appleseed on Friday, December 29, submitted a petition with more than 6,100 signatures from 230 communities asking Governor Pillen to reverse his decision. (I signed through Panhandle Partnership.)
But Governor Pillen has held firm on his decision to not apply for Summer EBT.
On December 29, Governor Pillen issued the following statement: “COVID-19 is over and Nebraska taxpayers expect that pandemic-era government relief programs will end too.
“To be clear, this does not mean that hungry kids will lose access to summer nutrition programs. Nebraska continues to participate in the existing USDA Summer Food Services Program (SFSB), which best ensures access to nutritious food options and protective services to children who are in need.
“Those added benefits are simply not available through the enhanced S-EBT program. Children who are fed on-site by trained program providers are ensured healthy meals and snacks, as well as access to educational and enrichment activities.
“The on-site aspect of SFSB also allows providers to spot more serious issues like malnutrition, neglect and abuse – which are often missed when children are out of school during the summer months.”
The SFSB programs are common in Omaha and Lincoln, but rare in rural Nebraska.
How does this affect us in Box Butte County? According to the Nebraska Department of Education, 944 of our students qualify for free or reduced lunch and would have qualified for the additional $120 Summer EBT benefit.
Hemingford Public Schools has 35% of its student body, or 138 students, qualifying for lunch assistance.
St. Agnes Academy and Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran School have 45 students who receive free or reduced lunch benefits.
Alliance Public Schools has 761 students who qualify for school lunch assistance, 57% of the school’s total enrollment Early Childhood through High School. Alliance does offer the Summer Food Services Program (SFSP) that Governor Pillen is touting until the end of June. However, when summer school classes end, so does this program.
That is a total of $113,280 that would have been received and spent in our area, feeding hungry children.