During the pandemic, the federal government created the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program to ensure that children who would have otherwise received food benefits through schools or child care programs continue to receive nutritious meals. States were able to participate in the program through the summer of 2023, although Missouri was one of seven states that chose not to operate P-EBT that summer. Seeing the need for continued coverage, especially during the summer months when schools are closed, Congress created the new, permanent Summer EBT program for eligible school-aged children. To receive the federal funds, states had to provide a portion of the program’s administrative costs.
Missouri advocates did not want to see another hungry summer for the state’s children, so in the fall of 2023, they worked together to convince the state’s governor to participate in the Summer EBT program in 2024, which provides $40 per child per month via an electronic benefit transfer card to families whose children qualify for free and reduced-price school meals during the school year.
Their successful advocacy helped Missouri buck a trend among many Republican governors who pted not to participate.
In Missouri, the Summer EBT program especially helps low-income children in rural parts of the state, whose families may not live near a school or library that offers a summer feeding program or have transportation to get to a food bank. Chad Higdon, CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank in St. Joseph, Mo. told a local public radio affiliate, “Summer can be the hungriest time of year for families with school-aged children, and some of the most beneficial benefit was for kids in rural communities.”
All told, about 429,000 Missouri children are eligible for summer EBT benefits, data compiled by the Food Research and Action Center showed. Their analysis also showed that opting into Summer EBT would bring an economic impact of between $77 million and $92 million into the state.
A Coalition of Voices
To ensure Missouri participates in the new summer EBT program, the state had to declare its intention to federal officials by January 1, 2024. Christine Woody, food security policy manager at poverty and justice advocacy organization, Empower Missouri, leaned into her trusted relationships and, as the January deadline approached, brought her partners together throughout the fall of 2023.
They used a two-level advocacy strategy to encourage the state to finally say yes to the funds. First, Woody and her partners set up small meetings between agency staff and advocates familiar with the details of administering food assistance programs, including Kids Win Missouri (Alliance for Early Success’ state ally in Missouri), the Missouri Alliance of YMCAs, and the Missouri Catholic Conference.
“For years, Empower Missouri has done the hard work of building a coalition in the state of voices for child nutrition,” says Robyn Schelp, director of policy and advocacy at Kids Win Missouri. “They were able to pull us together to get a game plan quickly—a strategy where we could all use our organization’s strengths.”
Woody also found a willing ally in the Department of Social Services’ Director, who recognized the need to help families afford summer meals and included the state portion of the summer EBT funding in his state budget proposal. He also lobbied state lawmakers to keep it in the budget that the Governor ultimately signed.
For the second strategy, Woody and Empower Missouri organized a large grassroots campaign and sign-on letter from about 200 organizations across the state who wanted Missouri to opt into the Summer EBT Program to ensure children have access to healthy food during the summer.
Sharing stories from families in rural areas was especially impactful to help legislators understand why this program was so important, Woody says.
“We had to help legislators understand that yes, there are these existing summer feeding programs in some schools and libraries. For example in St. Louis County, many of their libraries have food for children in the summer. But that’s not happening in the more rural areas of our state, like Texas County or in Cape Girardeau County. The access is just not there for kids in rural areas, so Summer EBT is a great way to reach those kids.”
The multi-pronged advocacy efforts paid off. The Missouri Department of Social Services submitted its letter of intent to implement the Summer EBT on time, and the governor signed the state budget that included the required state funds. (Although, as of early August, the program funds for summer 2024 had yet to be released.)
The Missouri Path to Yes: A Pro-Family and Pro-Child Message
When Congress passed Summer EBT, numerous governors–several in states with the highest rates of child hunger—announced they would not participate. And, as in Missouri, advocates raised the pressure.
Nebraska reversed course after advocates rallied around legislation mandating summer EBT program participation. In Kansas, Alliance allies Kansas Action for Children and their partners stopped a bill that would have prohibited the state’s participation in the program. And in Alabama, advocates educated and mobilized to win a reversal in their state. In Oklahoma, the Cherokee and Chickasaw Nations went around the state government, claimed the federal funds, and are administering the program in the state.
In 13 states, governors maintain their rejection of Summer EBT funding.
So what made the difference in Missouri? Woody says it came down to relationships.
“I don’t think any of this would have been possible if we hadn’t taken the time to build up the relationships with the Department over the years so they know they can trust us and share information back and forth,” said Woody. She also emphasized that relationships and trust are key for successful child advocacy, to get past ideological differences and allow for conversation between advocates and lawmakers about policies that help families thrive.
“We’ve been able to connect pro-family and pro-child policies, including Summer EBT, to align with shared goals for greater family self-sufficiency,” Woody said. “In our messaging, we are really focusing on supporting families and children and enacting policies to help make sure that they succeed.”
