WASHINGTON — The National School Lunch Program provides eligible children with free breakfast and lunch during the school year. But when classes end for the summer, the parents of those children can struggle to adequately feed them.
“There are a lot of kids that don’t participate in summer school who lose their breakfast and lunch normally provided by the school,” said Sherrie Tussler, the CEO of Hunger Task Force. “And so hunger reaches its all-time high in August.”
A pilot program aims to change that. Wisconsin is the first state selected for the new Summer EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) program. It will provide eligible families with $120 loaded on debit cards over the summer to buy groceries. It’s modeled after similar efforts to feed kids during the pandemic.
“It could be the difference between, I have to feed my child this box of mac and cheese, or I can feed my child this box of mac and cheese and add broccoli to it,” said Briana Rockler, an assistant professor of public health at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers praised the program, saying in a statement that children having enough to eat is critical for their success inside and outside of the classroom. Experts agree, saying the benefit will also help address issues related to youth mental health and obesity.
“It’s not all about weight,” Rockler said. “But it is about not having to worry about where their next meal is coming from; not having to rely on going to a friend’s house and eating at their house; not having to worry about not going to school in order to eat. I think there’s huge mental health benefits that we will see from that.”
According to 2021 data from Feeding America, 11% of children in Wisconsin are food insecure. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that 401,000 children in the state will be eligible from the pilot program. It has an estimated cost of more than $48 million.
“It’s important to realize that whenever those dollars are in your community, they’re also keeping farmers at work, grocery store cashiers are working, truck drivers are driving, because people are buying food,” Tussler said.
Most families that participate in other food assistance programs, like reduced-price meals at school, will automatically receive the Summer EBT benefit in June. Children who receive the Summer EBT stipend will still be able to participate in other food benefit programs.