NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — More than two dozen county mayors across Tennessee have signed a letter urging Gov. Bill Lee to opt into the federally-funded food assistance program for school-aged children, Summer EBT, before time runs out.
Summer EBT, first piloted in 2011 and made permanent by Congress in 2023, provides a one-time $120 payment per child to eligible families. In 2024, the program helped feed around 700,000 children in the state.
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Signe Anderson, senior director of nutrition advocacy for the Tennessee Justice Center, told News 2 hunger spikes during the summer when children no longer have access to school meals. Hunger affects more than a child’s mental and physical health.
“The other big thing that we see during the summertime for kids who are food insecure is [that] it affects their ability to learn when they get back to school in the fall,” Anderson said…