Sen. Ossoff Again Urges Gov. Kemp to Accept Federal Funds for School Children’s Summer Meals

In August, Sen. Ossoff and members of Georgia’s Congressional DelegationurgedGov. Kemp to reverse course and apply for the Federal funds to help Georgia children
Last year, thousands of Georgia parentspetitioned the Governorto reverse his decision & accept Federal funding for summer school lunches
Washington, D.C.— U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is again pressing Governor Kemp to accept Federal funds for school children’s summer meals.
This week, Sen. Ossoff and Congresswoman Lucy McBath (D-GA-06), alongside other members of Georgia’s Congressional Delegation, again urged Georgia Governor Brian Kemp to reverse course and apply for this year’s summer EBT program by February 15. Last year, Governor Kemp refused tens of millions of dollars in Federal funding to help Georgia children afford lunch during the summer months.
“We write to follow up on our letter sent to your office on August 8th, 2024, requesting that you commit to participating in the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Summer EBT program in 2025 and provide more information about your decision not to participate in the program last year,”Sen. Ossoff the group wrote to Governor Kemp.“Your office has yet to officially respond to either our request to participate in Summer EBT this year or to provide Georgians with more information on how you came to the decision to not participate, despite the overwhelming need in our state.”
According to areportby the Food and Research Action Center, the summer EBT program would allow over 1.1 million children to receive a $120 benefit to help cover their meals for the summer.
According to areportby theSavannah Morning News, Georgia has the fourth highest rate of food insecurity among children across the country.
Sen. Ossoff continues working to support Georgia’s most vulnerable children.
Last August, Sen. Ossoff and members of Georgia’s Congressional DelegationurgedGov. Kemp to reverse course and apply for the program so that Georgia children don’t go hungry and can receive meals during the summer of 2025.
In 2023, Sen. Ossoffannounceda new partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and State of Georgia to purchase locally grown fruits and vegetables for schools across the state, helping Georgia kids access fresh produce grown by Georgia farmers.
Click hereto read Sen. Ossoff and Rep. McBath’s letter to Gov. Kemp.
###