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Arson attacks paralyze French high-speed rail network hours before start of Olympics, the Obamas endorse Harris for President; A NY county creates facial recognition, privacy protections; Art breathes new life into pollution-ravaged MI community; 34 Years of the ADA.

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Harris meets with Israeli PM Netanyahu and calls for a ceasefire. MI Rep. Rashida Tlaib faces backlash for a protest during Netanyahu's speech. And VA Sen. Mark Warner advocates for student debt relief.

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There's a gap between how rural and urban folks feel about the economy, Colorado's 'Rural is Rad' aims to connect outdoor businesses, more than a dozen of Maine's infrastructure sites face repeated flooding, and chocolate chip cookies rock August.

Mississippi kids will miss out on Summer EBT food program

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Monday, April 1, 2024   

As summer approaches, thousands of children in Mississippi could go without enough nutritious food when school is out, as the state has opted out of the federal Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program.

Joining Summer EBT would have provided Mississippi nearly $38 million in federal food assistance to distribute to families.

Sonya Williams Barnes, Mississippi policy director for the Southern Poverty Law Center, said Summer EBT helps families to bridge the nutrition gap for kids when schools are out. She added Mississippi already has the nation's highest childhood poverty rate, at 27%.

"The Summer EBT program, it's such an important supplement that provides family with the autonomy and dignity to purchase meals that best meet their children's dietary and nutritional needs," Williams Barnes asserted. "To have this cut is just horrible and heartbreaking. "

The move may be political, as several other Republican-led Southern states -- Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Louisiana -- have also declined to participate in Summer EBT. Their reasons include opposition to anti-poverty programs, concerns about administrative costs, and the belief pandemic-era assistance is no longer needed.

Williams Barnes pointed out churches, food banks and nonprofits offer food assistance through Summer EBT and will face challenges. She urged Mississippi residents who can afford to contribute to the organizations to do so, as they will need help providing food as needs spike over the summer.

"Gone Fishing Ministries in Pass Christian, Mississippi; Feed My Sheep is on the Gulf Coast," Williams Barnes outlined. "Feeding the Gulf Coast is an organization that provides food throughout the state. And those organizations are going to just have a larger taxing of need."

She added her organization sent letters to Gov. Tate Reeves, and both the state House and Senate Appropriation chairs, recommending the adoption of the Summer EBT program. She stressed the importance of working with lawmakers to find ways to fight hunger in the state.


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