NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Louisiana Congressman Troy Carter is asking the U.S. Agriculture Department to help fill in the gap for millions of dollars that Gov. Jeff Landry’s Administration took away from the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program for children.
Federal officials toured the Second Harvest Food Bank on April 2 and discussed ways to best provide healthy meals to kids in our state.
“We know that our food insecurity is real, particularly with our young people, and we know the intersection between academic prowess and nutritional prowess is real,” Carter said.
“In Louisiana, there are times when everyone needs this type of assistance, whether they’ve been hit by the impacts of a hurricane or an economic downturn, recognizing there was a time when anyone might need that support,” Agriculture Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small said.
Earlier this year, Landry’s administration decided to opt out of the federal summer EBT program. The program was created to help low-income families with children get groceries during the summer months and would have granted the state $70 million in federal aid for families. As a result, enrolled families would have been given an extra $40 for each eligible child.
“Fortunately, Second Harvest and many others are still stepping up as best we can. No child will be left without,” said Carter.
With the help of the USDA, CEO and President of Second Harvest Food Bank Natalie Jayroe said they plan feed double the number of children they were feeding prior to the programs end.
“Second Harvest and many other entities are going to step up, to do all we can to meet the needs of our kids this summer,” Jayroe said. “In our case, we’re going to double the size of our summer feeding program that the congressman was referring to. But that means will reach 5,000 children instead of the 2,500 kids that we we’re reaching before.”
Carter says this year, the clock ran out on them when it came to negotiating the programs terms, but he has higher hopes for next year.
“I’m very hopeful that next year we won’t have this issue and that we will be able to rise above any partizan differences or any policy differences to put people over politics, and in this case, putting children over politics,” Carter said.
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