OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Gov. Jim Pillen reversed course, Monday, and announced Nebraska will enroll in the federally-funded program, Summer EBT.
He previously refused to enroll Nebraska in the program because the state already has programs for kids.
"What was really really important to me is that we didn't want to go backwards with our kids," Pillen said. "That kids are out and able to be in communities."
The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 150,000 students will be eligible for the program.
"It's really important to us to have the touch point with kids, so that kids can be out," Pillen said.
Stephanie Sullivan with Food Bank for the Heartland has advocated for the summer EBT program for months. She said this will alleviate the shortage at food banks across the state.
"It will help our pantry partners significantly who already don't have enough food on their shelves to feed people in their communities," Sullivan said. "It will help our network partners across the state including schools, pantries, emergency shelters and other non-profit organizations."
The program, administered by the USDA, would give $40 a month in EBT credit to low-income families with school-aged kids to buy groceries when they're not receiving free or reduced meals during summer break.
"We need kids out in communities so they're quality of life is enriched and not go backwards and keep enriching their lives through the summer. Not just during the school year," Pillen said.
Sullivan hopes this program will have positive long-term effects on kids.
"This means that families will have less barriers in their way of accessing the fresh food that they deserve to have," Sullivan said.
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