Nearly 200 nonprofit organizations are urging Florida leaders to enroll in a summer food assistance program in 2025. The deadline for states to opt in is Aug. 15.
The federal program, called the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program for Children (Summer EBT), is designed to help working parents afford groceries for their kids during the summer months, when free and reduced meals are usually no longer available at schools.
Eligible households in states that take part receive pre-loaded cards with $40 a month, per child, to put toward food costs.
In January, after a five-month extension period for states to enroll, Florida declined to participate in the program for 2024.
Read more: Florida opts out of around $250 million in food aid
“Florida was not one of the 36 states that accepted the program. So, it’s too late for 2024, but we can do something for 2025,” said Florence French Fagan, the southeast organizer for Bread for the World.
Bread for the World was one of 186 hunger relief, child advocacy and faith-based groups that co-signed a letter addressed to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Children and Families urging the state to opt in to the summer food benefits program in 2025. The letter was sent on May 1.
A spokesperson for the Department of Children and Families did not respond to a request for comment.
“Summer EBT was specifically designed to work in tandem with other food assistance programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and SummerBreakSpot, to put food on the plates of children during the summer,” according to the group letter.
Fagan said that it can be difficult for families living in rural areas or families without reliable transportation to reach free food sites. She said the Summer EBT addresses that need by putting cash directly in the hands of low-income parents.
If Florida enrolled in 2024, it’s estimated that more than two million children would have benefitted from $250 million in nutritional aid this summer, according to the Food Research and Action Center.
Without the extra help, nonprofit and advocacy group leaders are anticipating a greater need among Florida families this summer.
Kay Mathers, board member of a girls advocacy group in Sarasota, said that Florida’s decision to decline federal food benefits will be felt by nonprofits that are forced to reallocate their resources during the summer.
“The heavy reliance on us to continue to provide services that are kind of out of the scope of our mission. … So instead of focusing on some of the programming, we're focusing on just feeding kids,” she said.
The Girls Inc. Sarasota president Angie Stringer said that the nonprofit is preparing to dedicate more time and resources to feeding working families in the community this summer despite the fact that they are primarily not a hunger relief organization.
“So, it is taking a significant toll on the organization,” Stringer said.
Gabriella Paul covers the stories of people living paycheck to paycheck in the greater Tampa Bay region for WUSF. She's also a Report for America corps member. Here’s how you can share your story with her.
