NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Thousands of families in Tennessee are receiving extra help paying for food this summer while school is out, but a much larger expansion is on the way next year after state lawmakers approved funding to bring back a federal food assistance program.
For the second year, Tennessee is providing a one-time, $120 summer food benefit to children who rely on free or reduced-price school meals during the school year if they live in one of the 13 “underserved” counties identified by the Tennessee Department of Human Services as: Bledsoe, Cannon, Clay, DeKalb, Fentress, Hancock, Humphreys, Jackson, Lewis, Marshall, Moore, Sequatchie and Smith Counties.
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The $3 million program was created after Gov. Bill Lee declined more than $80 million in federal funds to cover $120 payments to eligible families in all 95 counties, citing $7 million in administrative costs the state would have had to pay.
That decision drew criticism from some lawmakers and advocates…