Groceries at a Target store. (Photo by Jay Waagmeester/Florida Phoenix)
Approximately 15% of Florida children don’t have enough food when school is out for the summer, according to a report from UnidosUS, a Hispanic civil rights organization.
The report published Monday urges state lawmakers to opt into SUN Bucks, a federal summer program that gives low-income families financial assistance for food. Around 2 million children could benefit from the program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates.
Florida rejected the program last year and has already missed a Jan. 1 deadline to notify the federal government of its plan to administer SUN Bucks this summer. But those advocating for the program say it’s not too late to opt in and that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ call for a special session could open an opportunity for lawmakers to act.
“Our families don’t have the ability to sit around and wait for session to begin in March,” said Jared Nordlund, Unidos U.S. state director, during a press conference Monday.
“They need real solutions right now to bring these costs down for them. We see that the state has a plan for restoring seagrass so that it thrives in Florida, but what we don’t have is the same type of plan for children here in Florida to make sure they can thrive during the summertime, be ready for school, and not be hungry during our summer months.”
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Most of the children who went hungry during the past two summers were Black and Latino, 33% and 32%, according to UnidosUS’ analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.
By Feb. 15, states have to submit to the federal government plans to manage SUN Bucks, meaning that there is another deadline approaching for Florida to participate. Louisiana decided to administer SUN Bucks in May. To accept the federal funds, estimated at $259 million, the state must take on 50% of the cost to run the program.
In return, low-income families would get $40 per month per child during the summer months.
“When the Legislature spends our money, public money, we expect that those funds will first go to our most important resource: Children,” said Cindy Huddleston, a senior policy analyst for Florida Policy Institute, during a press conference Monday. “And if we turn our backs on low-income children, Florida is making a shortsighted decision that has long-lasting effects on our state as well as on the children.”
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