by: Andy Jesson, AOF Policy & Communications Intern
One in seven children face hunger in Ohio. The nearly 400,000 Ohio youth who may not know where their next meal is coming from rely on public programs and charitable contributions to obtain the necessary food to thrive. Once again this summer, all Ohio children are eligible for participation in the Ohio Summer Food Service Program, Ohio’s edition of the federal Summer Food Service Program, while qualifying families may also be enrolled in the newly-created Summer-EBT program.
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a federally funded, state-run program designed to bridge the gap for children facing food insecurity during summer months when school in not in session. Data from the 2021-2022 academic year showed 57 percent of Ohio’s school-aged children, or about 912,000 students, were eligible for and participated in free and reduced-price lunch programs. Free and reduced lunch programs at school ensure children receive at least one nutritious meal each day, at little or no cost.
Despite the success of free and reduced lunch programs on mitigating food insecurity for children across the United States and offsetting costs for low-income parents, an obvious gap remains for students during the summer months, when school is not in session and students do not receive free/reduced price meals. SFSP in Ohio is available to all children ages 1 through 18, and does not require registration. In 2023, Ohio’s summer program sponsors operated more than 2,000 sites across the state, serving more than 5 million meals to Ohio children.
This year, Ohio’s SFSP is focused on expanding reach to rural communities across the state. To open a site, eligibility must be determined using school data, census data, or census block grouping. Using data prior to opening a site is intended to ensure the program is accessible to students who are in the greatest need for food assistance.
In addition to providing meals and snacks to Ohio children, the SFSP also serves as an opportunity for students to continue learning while school is not in session. Some sites offer summer activities or learning programs for children. Due to the nature of the program, sponsors operating sites throughout the state are eligible to be reimbursed for costs.
The USDA website includes a Summer Meals for Kids Site Finder, a tool parents can use to find directions, operating hours, and contact information for meal sites. The finder is set to go live in early May.
Apart from SFSP, in a new federal initiative, this summer marks the start of Summer-EBT for low-income Ohioans. Ohio families who meet income requirements will receive $40/month per child to help offset the loss of school meals during the summer months. The $40 monthly payments will come in the form of a $120 lump-sum loaded to an existing SNAP card or new EBT card mailed to households in the child’s name.
Ohio children whose families completed a free or reduced-price meal application during this academic year will automatically be enrolled in Summer-EBT, as will families already enrolled in SNAP, Medicaid, or TANF. Children who may be eligible but are not yet automatically enrolled include those who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch but have not completed an application. An application for Summer-EBT is expected to open around April 15. Nationally, it is estimated that the USDA will provide $2.5 billion in grocery benefits through the Summer-EBT program.
The Summer-EBT program represents a continuation of benefits families received during the COVID-19 pandemic through Pandemic-EBT. Research on Pandemic-EBT showed it to have far-reaching effects on child hunger, including a 33 percent reduction in food hardship, and between 2.7 to 3.9 million children lifted out of hunger. This summer and beyond, the Summer-EBT program holds the potential to significantly reduce the burden of hunger of Ohio’s children and their families.