{"id":12656,"date":"2025-05-06T15:48:47","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T15:48:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/state.nokidhungry.org\/georgia\/?p=12656"},"modified":"2025-05-06T15:54:53","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T15:54:53","slug":"new-poll-low-income-families-struggle-to-afford-food-in-summer-months-strong-bipartisan-support-statewide-for-georgia-to-participate-in-summer-ebt-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/state.nokidhungry.org\/georgia\/2025\/05\/06\/new-poll-low-income-families-struggle-to-afford-food-in-summer-months-strong-bipartisan-support-statewide-for-georgia-to-participate-in-summer-ebt-2\/","title":{"rendered":"New Poll: Low-Income Families Struggle to Afford Food in Summer Months; Strong Bipartisan Support Statewide for Georgia to Participate in Summer EBT"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text css=”” text_direction=”default”]\n

Findings come as Georgia is poised to pass up for a second year nearly $138 million in federal benefits to keep kids fed in the summer months.<\/h4>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text css=”” text_direction=”default”]\n

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\u00a0January 13, 2025<\/h5>\n

Contact:\u00a0Johanna Elsemore at jelsemore@strength.org<\/p>\n

GEORGIA: A\u00a0new statewide poll<\/a>\u00a0from No Kid Hungry shows many low-income Georgia families struggle to afford enough food during the summer. Of those eligible for Summer EBT, also known as SUN Bucks, nearly 79%<\/strong> often find themselves without enough money for food and nearly three quarters (73%<\/strong>) struggle to provide their kids with enough nutritious food when school is out in the summer.<\/p>\n

Last Summer, Georgia was one of only 13 states not to offer Summer EBT, a new federal grocery benefits program that helps families afford the added cost of food when kids are home for summer break. If implemented, it\u2019s estimated the program would help prevent nearly 1.2 million school aged kids from facing summer hunger and funnel more than $138 million\u00a0federal dollars into the state.<\/p>\n

Summer has long been the hungriest time of year for many kids, as they no longer receive meals at school. Traditional summer meal programs have long helped nourish kids in the summertime, but they only reach a fraction of the kids who need them due to challenges like transportation and parents\u2019 work schedules. Summer EBT helps fill that gap by providing eligible families with $120 per child to buy food in the summer months.<\/p>\n

Poll data shows Georgia families eligible for Summer EBT would use the benefits to buy nutritious food. When asked how they would spend $120 in grocery benefits, half\u00a0(51%)\u00a0said they would use the extra room in their grocery budget to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, and\u00a039%\u00a0would buy meat and other forms of protein.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d be getting fast food a whole lot less frequently and would instead be buying a surplus of fresh fruits, vegetables, pastas, meats, etc.\u201d said one Gwinnett County mom. \u201cI would use the extra benefits to buy healthy snack options,\u201d another Chatham County mom told us.<\/p>\n

Despite the high need in the state, Georgia has not yet indicated plans to offer Summer EBT in 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe need in Georgia is high, with 1 in 5 kids living in food insecure households. For many of those kids, summer is the hungriest season,\u201d said Kate Goodin with No Kid Hungry. \u201cSummer EBT offers an unprecedented opportunity to end summer hunger by reaching kids we\u2019ve never been able to reach before with traditional summer meal programs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nearly all Georgians (94%) agree that child hunger should not exist in the state and that ending childhood hunger in Georgia should be a bipartisan goal (92%). Georgians want to see more action from elected officials to end childhood hunger, with four in five (79%) saying Summer EBT and similar programs are core to achieving this goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just policy, it\u2019s good politics too,\u201d Goodin adds. \u201cGeorgians want to see our elected leaders prioritizing child hunger.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][divider line_type=”Full Width Line” line_thickness=”1″ divider_color=”black”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text css=”” text_direction=”default”]About No Kid Hungry: No child should go hungry in America. But millions of kids will face hunger this year. No Kid Hungry is ending childhood hunger through effective programs that provide kids with the food they need. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization working to end hunger and poverty. Join us at NoKidHungry.org.<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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