Media Contact:
Jordan Baker
jbaker@frac.org
202-640-1118
Statement attributable to Crystal FitzSimons, president, Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
WASHINGTON, January 9, 2026 — The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) is pleased that 38 states and the District of Columbia have committed to participate in the Summer EBT Program for 2026, helping to ensure that an estimated 21 million children have a summer free from hunger and return to school well-nourished and ready to learn.
Summer EBT provides families with $120 federally funded grocery benefits per eligible child on new or existing Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards to help supplement nutrition access provided by summer meal sites for children who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals during the school year. The program has been shown to reduce food insecurity and improve nutrition.
When schools close for summer, millions of children miss out on nutritious school meals. Traditional summer meal programs are designed to support children’s health and learning, but barriers such as transportation, location, and availability often limit participation, contributing to higher levels of hunger during the summer. Summer EBT is a way to bridge the gap and keep more children who rely on school meals during the school year fed.
Similar to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Summer EBT provides targeted assistance to families with low incomes while generating significant local economic activity. It’s a win for families, communities, and states.
While some states initially implemented alternative state-funded programs, these efforts reached far fewer children at much higher costs. For example, Iowa’s alternative was expected to reach only 65,000 children in 2025 compared to the 240,000 children that would have benefited from Summer EBT. Community providers in Iowa reported that they could not meet the growing needs of families with school-age children who were really struggling to put food on the table. We commend Iowa for heeding community feedback and changing course to adopt Summer EBT for 2026. Every state that embraces this model ensures that they are leveraging the federal resources available to combat childhood hunger.
We encourage states that opted out of Summer EBT for the coming summer — including Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming — to reconsider and implement the program. We also urge federal lawmakers to further strengthen Summer EBT by passing the Stop Child Hunger Act of 2025, introduced by Sen. Patty Murray and Reps. Mike Levin and Jahana Hayes. This bill would increase benefit levels for families, decrease states’ administrative costs, and provide state implementation grants for states. We also urge the passage of Rep. David Scott’s bill, The Bridge to Summer Nutrition Act, which would ensure states have the administrative resources they need to operate the program successfully.
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The Food Research & Action Center improves the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions. To learn more, visit FRAC.org and follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky.