Tennessee will participate in the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer for Children program this year, however, 2024 could be the last year the state accepts the federal funds.
In December 2022, Congress authorized Summer EBT as a permanent program, which provides eligible low-income families with $40 per month for each child while school is out. That money is put on an EBT card.
Fifteen states have refused the money this year, and Jonathan Mattise reports Governor Bill Lee’s office as saying Tennessee does not plan to enroll in Summer EBT in 2025.
According to the USDA, there are an estimated 644,000 children in Tennessee who qualify for the Summer EBT program which will provide over $77.2 million to feed kids in Tennessee during the summer months.