Travis Alajoki, contributor

I never thought people would stoop so low to take away free lunches for kids, but this is where we are now. Texas is one of the 15 states not joining the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program (Summer EBT). To catch you up to speed in case you don’t know what the Summer EBT program is, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, families that join the program will be given free summer meal plan opportunities and $40 per eligible child each month. An amazing deal that was presented to Texas officials, an offer that would help millions of struggling families state-wide and Texas thought a brilliant idea would be to pass on it. 

The EBT program was made this year and going into action for the first time in the summer of 2024. This is so important because without this $3.8 million, children will miss out on three months of food. This is why you should care! Now, it sounds bad just on the surface, but the more you think about it, the worse it gets. 

The first thing to think about is that for some families, lunch is the only time each day their children can eat, but this is now being taken away from them. How are kids supposed to grow and be healthy when they don’t have enough nutrients? Starve? Children who lack nutrients can experience slow development and cause a whole lot of problems like poor bone growth, digestive issues and skin problems. Isn’t that fun? Now, one playing the devil’s advocate could argue, “The families can just get food stamps.” Well, to explain it slowly so the people in the back can hear, not everyone is eligible for food stamps. Again! Not everyone is ELIGIBLE for food stamps! So there will be millions of children without food. You got it? Now you know why this is so upsetting and why so many people are mad by this decision. 

Not only can this be a physical problem, but it can also be an economic problem. Since Summer EBT lends meals for the children, the adults can use the money meant for food on other things like paying off rent and car payments. Food is expensive and can add up quickly which is why once again this is so important. I know I sound like a broken record but there is a reason.

Once again, if one were to play devil’s advocate, one could say “Texas is the second largest state population-wise, so it’s harder to feed so many people!” Now that is a good point, but if California — which is the most populated state in the U.S. — can join the Summer EBT, why is Texas having such a hard time? It makes you question if it was ever about the children, or rather not waiting to do the work to achieve such a thing. This really makes you think…

Hopefully, in the future, Texas can wise up and focus on making this possible. Some Texan politicians are saying that in 2025 they will have the program, but do you trust their word? Only time will tell.