According to a recent USDA study, 12% of Nebraskans experience food insecurity. That's higher than the national average.

If legislation that is the priority bill of state Sen. Jen Day, D-Papillion, becomes law, some lower-income Nebraska families will receive help paying for food. LB-952 would require the state to participate in the USDA's Summer EBT program. The program provides $40 on an EBT card per child per month during the summer to spend on groceries.

Gov. Jim Pillen decided the state would not participate. Day contends the USDA will waive the Dec. 31 deadline, and said she's encouraged by the support LB-952 has received in the Unicameral so far.

"I had 16 co-sponsors, both Republicans and Democrats. And we've been working on building that into a larger coalition of folks, so that hopefully, we will be able to override a veto in the event that that becomes necessary," Day said.

Pillen noted other summer meal options, such as the site-based USDA Summer Food Service program. However, advocates point out not all families can get their children to a meal site, especially in rural parts of the state. And the number of sites has declined significantly since the pandemic. 35 states and the District of Columbia, along with several territories and tribal nations, have enrolled in Summer EBT.

The first hearing on LB-952 is at 1:30 p.m. this Thursday.

One in nine Nebraska children is experiencing food insecurity.

Kay Wissman, community services director with Southeast Nebraska Community Action, said its food pantries served nearly 200 more households in fiscal year 2022-23 than in 2021-22, and added there's no doubt Nebraska families need help.

"Particularly during the summer when children are home, and they don't have access to at least that one, if not two, good meals at school, " Wissman explained.

Summer EBT would bring in roughly $18 million annually to assist families of about 150,000 Nebraska children.

Rebecca Firestone, executive director of the nonpartisan OpenSky Policy Institute, said the yearly administrative cost of around $300,000 is an investment that could bring the state a "significant return."

"There's a robust evidence base that suggests that when children are food secure, they do better in school. And the funds that those families spend on feeding their children is also money that goes back into supporting local economies," Firestone contended.

Three of Nebraska's neighbors -- Colorado, Kansas and Missouri -- are among the states enrolled in Summer EBT.

Research shows people experiencing food insecurity often suffer from chronic health conditions due to a lack of proper nutrition. Now, a group of Washington food banks is working to change it.

The Washington Food Coalition is collaborating with the American Heart Association-Washington branch, adopting the Association's nutritional guidelines for its local food pantries.

Chantal Brooks, founder and food safety manager for New Day Ministries in Bremerton, said her group's food pantry found many of its patrons come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

"What prompted us to implement a nutrition policy is we began to notice that many of the people we serve, especially seniors and families with children, were struggling with health conditions like diabetes, heart problems, high blood pressure," Brooks outlined.

Coalition research showed pantries with nutrition policies are better able to communicate with and educate donors, collect feedback from customers about their food preferences, and identify and offer healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables.

The Heart Association's guidelines aim to help customers battle conditions such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease by prioritizing fresh, nutritious, and culturally relevant foods.

Elena O'Callaghan, community impact director for the American Heart Association of Washington, said nutrition policies help pantries focus on providing good outcomes.

"Agencies with nutrition policies felt much more confident in being able to define and discuss healthy foods," O'Callaghan observed. "A lot of people who run food pantries may have trouble defining 'What is a healthy food?' and 'How will I know it when I see it?'"

Brooks said her group's food pantry uses the Heart Association's nutrition policy as a guide for what food it purchases and collects.

"It's not necessarily that we will refuse any food," Brooks noted. "It just helps us to focus more on nutrient-dense foods, such as fresh vegetables and fresh fruits and nutrient-dense protein."

As Colorado lawmakers grapple with $1.2 billion in budget cuts, child nutrition advocates are turning to voters to protect funding for the state's Healthy School Meals for All program.

Dr. Sandra Hoyt Stenmark, clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado, said when a child has inadequate nutrition, they are more susceptible to acute and chronic illness, and more likely to miss school and fall behind academically and socially.

"We know that malnourishment and stress impair a child's immune function, and worsens chronic diseases such as asthma," Hoyt Stenmark explained.

Healthy School Meals for All serves more than 600,000 meals every school day, regardless of a student's ability to pay. Funding was meant to come from capping tax deductions on people earning $300,000 or more per year but the program's popularity has driven up projected costs. House Bill 1274 would put two measures on November's ballot asking voters to maintain existing funding and ensure long-term stability.

Thai Nguyen, executive director of Kaizen Food Rescue in Denver, said investing in students now will help them be better prepared to land jobs that pay enough to be financially independent as adults. She pointed out for many Colorado kids, the only real meal they get all day is at school.

"It improves students' academics performance," Nguyen emphasized. "Once they have full stomachs, they tend to focus better, score higher on assessments and have fewer behavioral problems."

The ballot measures would also expand the Local Food Purchasing Program, which allows schools to purchase fresh foods directly from Colorado farmers and ranchers.

Roberto Meza, a first generation farmer and CEO of the food distributor Hearty Provisions, believes the program is critical to maintain the viability of independent food producers.

"They have a reliable market for their product," Meza stressed. "That just eases so much stress and uncertainty on the farmer's part. And to know that it's going to feed kids, is just that extra layer of purpose and meaning."


get more stories like this via email

North Dakota's governor this week signed a bill maintaining state funding for rural communities in dire need of thriving grocery stores.

The state launched a specialized grant program in 2023, setting aside $1 million for smaller communities to share if their local grocery store was in danger of closing its doors, a problem seen in many rural counties.

For example, one small community used its share to match funds for the purchase and reopening of a local convenience store, which added groceries and a restaurant.

Ellen Huber, rural development director for the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives, spoke in support of the new bill extending the grant opportunities.

"Without action, our rural communities are becoming increasingly reliant on distant markets for basic needs and are paying the transportation and fuel costs," Huber pointed out.

Huber told lawmakers since 2014, North Dakota has lost 47 rural grocery stores, leaving only 90 operating around the state. Like the initial funding cycle, the grant program receives $1 million to cover the next two budget years. The bill received overwhelming support in the Legislature but there were some "no" votes as competing rural investment plans surfaced this year.

Just like water, emergency services and health care, Huber argued grocery stores are essential to small-town survival.

"To attract people to live in communities, (those residents) need ready access to healthy, affordable food," Huber emphasized.

Huber and policy experts said shifts in federal law have given bigger chains an edge in buying products in bulk at cheaper prices. It has inspired efforts in parts of North Dakota to establish local grocery store co-ops, where a handful of smaller shops buy items in bulk together.


get more stories like this via email