San Antonio Food Bank pushing for summer food benefits
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The San Antonio Food Bank is joining its Texas counterparts in asking state lawmakers to approve a budget with federal benefits to ensure low-income students still have access to food over summer break.
Why it matters: 1 in 6 Texas households is food insecure, and an estimated 3.75 million Texas students are eligible for a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that would give them money to buy food during the summer, according to Feeding Texas.
- The eligible students would typically get free lunches during the school year.
The big picture: Texas was among 13 states that did not accept the federal money last year, the program's first year.
- A Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) spokesperson told the Texas Tribune last year that there wasn't enough time to set up the program.
- State officials already missed a Jan. 1 deadline but still have a chance to opt in by March 1 to take part this summer.
Driving the news: Feeding Texas and the San Antonio Food Bank are lobbying state lawmakers to direct the HHSC to accept the federal money.
- Feeding Texas has posted a letter online that Texans can send to their state representative or senator.
Zoom in: About 234,000 Bexar County children are eligible to receive the money, equaling more than $43 million in federal funds funneled back to the region.
Threat level: The stress of securing summer meals adds to a "perfect storm" of expenses for families already struggling with childcare costs, heat-induced high utility bills and affordable housing, San Antonio Food Bank CEO Eric Cooper tells Axios.
- The program would ease strain on the food bank and help prevent supply rationing during the summer, its busiest season, Cooper says.
How it works: Texas could receive $450 million in federal funding for the summer program, which would give $120 EBT cards to spend at grocery stores for every qualifying student.
- It would cost about $110 million to implement the program in Texas, of which the state would have to pay half.
- The benefits work like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
What they're saying: Cooper says it's painful to know a federal resource was available last year that could've helped but wasn't tapped into.
- "It's just a tragedy when there was a resource that could've been realized," he says. "There's nothing better than feeding a child and I hope that the Texas Legislature agrees."