Georgia opts into summer meals program after sitting out for 2 years
When the school year ends, so does access to two meals a day for some students. Georgia lawmakers tried to fix that this year by including $2 million for the SUN Bucks program in the 2027 state budget.
Eligible families will receive $120 in grocery benefits per child for the summer months in 2027. The $2 million would serve as a down payment on the state’s total share of $5 million, which would trigger $143 million in federal funds. The nonprofit organization, No Kid Hungry, estimates the program will help at least 1.1 million Georgia families.
“We’ve known for a long time that summer has been one of the hungriest times of the year,” said No Kid Hungry’s senior manager Kate Goodin. “School meal programs pause and food insecurity spikes. So (having access to SUN Bucks) is a really exciting opportunity for Georgia kids.”
The federal SUN Bucks program provided temporary food relief for families during the COVID-19 pandemic and became permanent in 2024. The Peach State chose not to participate the last two years, with Gov. Brian Kemp’s office citing concerns about nutritional standards and fiscal accountability. Georgia’s congressional Democrats signed a letter to Kemp in August criticizing the decision.
Students who already receive free or reduced-price meals would be eligible to receive SUN Bucks funding. To qualify for free school meals, families have to meet federally established income requirements. For example, a family of four would need to earn $41,795 or less a year to qualify for free meals or $59,478 or less to qualify for reduced-price meals. Families that already participate in assistance programs, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, would also qualify.
Federal data show 53.5% of U.S. public school students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch during the 2022-23 school year, the highest rate in any year since the pandemic. In Georgia, almost 60% of students were eligible.
Rebecca Nachtigal is a mom of six children, five of whom would benefit from the SUN Bucks program. The family lives in Heard County, about 60 miles southwest of Atlanta. She said the rising cost of food and gas is straining her family’s budget.
“My family has two incomes, and it’s a struggle for us,” she said. “So, I could imagine all these disabled parents out here, all the single parents, all the grandparents that are taking care of their grandkids, people who are on limited income, this would help so many people.”
Even though the SUN Bucks program won’t be available until the summer of 2027, Georgia has other meal distribution programs families can access this summer. The Seamless Summer Option and Happy Helpings programs provide meals at specific sites throughout the state. Those programs will still be in place next summer, so eligible families could receive those meals in addition to SUN Bucks benefits.
Goodin said being well-fed during the summer will help kids prepare for a new school year.
“We know that kids who have access to healthy meals are more focused, score higher on tests and miss fewer days of school, and the need to avoid summer hunger is essential to readiness for school,” she said.
About the Author
Martha Dalton is a journalist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, writing about K-12 education. She was previously a senior education reporter at WABE, Atlanta's NPR affiliate. Before that, she was a general assignment reporter at CNN Radio. Martha has worked in media for more than 20 years. She taught elementary school in a previous life.
