Throughout Georgia, 1 in 5 children struggle to access food as advocates working on the ground say food assistance is at an all-time high due to increased grocery prices and rollbacks to federal programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
And the summer is even more dire for the state’s children as schools are closed and those relying on them for breakfast and lunch must find other options.
Jon West, the vice president of Partner Relations at the Atlanta Community Food Bank, said their organization is working hard to help feed families this summer as they currently aim to provide around 120 million pounds of food to feed 800,000 in the state. But things continue to get more challenging as the need for food increases.
West said they are “serving more people than ever.”
“So the last three years, we’ve seen a 60% increase in need in our service area, we serve 29 counties. It was about 6 million plus individuals in those 29 counties,” said West, who has worked with ACFB for the past 16 years.
“We are responding to higher levels of need than we’ve ever had to, and at the same time doing that in a context where resources for ourselves and our neighbors are becoming scarce as well.”
And for Black residents, that need for food assistance is even more severe as they are twice as likely to face food insecurity compared to white residents.
“Food is one of the first trade-offs that people start to make in terms of their household budgets. But you take a couple of slices off the food budget, and all of a sudden there’s just not enough in the refrigerator,” said West. “That’s particularly true for households with children and Black households and so that really impacts both those demographics at a higher level than it does others.”
As local food pantries and food banks work to serve these families this summer, relief could be coming next year as the state is planning to opt into a federal program that would help feed kids during summer 2027.
SUN Bucks, also known as Summer EBT, is a federal program that provides money for groceries for qualifying families. For those who have children that are eligible for the national free and reduced lunch program, they could receive $120 per child over the summer.
While Georgia has been one of the few states to not participate in the program, the General Assembly has set aside $2 million for the program in the proposed state budget for 2027.
Kimberly Dukes, a mother of 10 and executive director of Atlanta Thrive, graduated her fifth child from an Atlanta public school last year. She told Capital B Atlanta last May that she understands more than most people the challenge of feeding kids during the summer months as schools are shut down when they can provide at least two meals each day during the school year.
“I live in fear sometimes, because I’m a mom of 10 kids, so I know how hard it is to not only worry about where we’re gonna sleep at night, but how I’m gonna feed my kids. That is a big concern,” said Dukes.
For families within the Atlanta Public School system, where the majority of students are Black and over 70% are eligible for the free and reduced lunch program, according to APS officials, many of them could qualify for the SUN Bucks program.
“In Atlanta Public Schools, food insecurity is a serious issue for many of our families,” said the organization’s representative in an email to Capital B Atlanta. “APS welcomes any effort or initiative that assists us in our mission to build a foundation for student success by serving quality, wholesome, and nutritious meals in a welcoming environment.”
While the state does provide food resources to students during the summer through programs called Happy Helpings and Seamless Summer Option where feeding sites throughout the state hand out meals at set times, not every county has access.
According to the state’s Department of Early Care and Learning, approximately 50 counties did not have a Happy Helpings feeding site last summer.
“Finding qualified nonprofit organizations to operate the program can be difficult. Rising costs affect sponsors as well. They face high costs for food, labor, and transportation, leading to fewer active sites in high-need areas,” said Cindy Kicklighter, marketing and outreach specialist for DECAL.
She said that the SUN Bucks program could help support DECAL in trying to feed Georgia children next summer.
“SUN Bucks will supplement the program by providing a flexible grocery benefit that families can use on their own schedule, which is important in ‘food deserts’ or rural areas where a physical meal site may be miles away,” said Kicklighter.
While state officials have made it clear they want to see Georgia participate in the program by setting aside the funds, Gov. Brian Kemp will get the final say.
The governor’s office told Capital B Atlanta in 2024 that there were concerns around the “lack of nutrition standards” and “fiscal sustainability” to the program.
When asked about the approval for the state budget and participating in SUN Bucks for 2027, Carter Chapman, Kemp’s press secretary told Capital B Atlanta that the office is “thoroughly reviewing the budget and all legislation passed by the General Assembly, and we will provide an update at the conclusion of that process.”
According to the state’s website, the governor has the constitutional right to veto portions of the proposed budget. Chapman said the governor has until May 12 to sign off on the budget.
In the meantime, advocates say that those who are in need of food this upcoming summer can reach out to their local food banks and pantries for assistance.
“We encourage folks to take advantage of the resources that are there, even while we’re talking about resources that we hope will be there in the future,” said West.
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