TAMPA, Fla. — Florida is one of about a dozen states that opted out of a federal program, a decision that nonprofits say could increase food insecurity for low-income families during the summer, when children do not have easy access to school meals.

What You Need To Know

  • Florida opted out of the Sun Bucks Program that would have helped hundreds of families with food

  • Local nonprofits are urging the governor to apply for the Sun Bucks benefit for 2025

  • KidsPack in Lakeland says they’re seeing more people turning to them for food this summer

The USDA estimates over 2 million kids in Florida would be eligible, totaling more than $250 million in benefits.

Now organizations that help with hunger are asking state officials to re-consider with a deadline for next year looming.

Amy Royal is a hands-on kind of person, especially when it comes to helping children. 

“Right now, we are predicting for the (2024-2025) school year over 4,000 children throughout Polk County that we will provide meals to,” she says.

Royal is the program and finance manager for KidsPack, an organization that helps feed children in Polk County.

It’s like a conveyor belt to get the meals packed and ready to go. Packages include non-perishable items children can eat at home.

Royal says, “We pack about half inside here and half is done out in the community through churches and organizations.”

Since the nonprofit started, Royal says the need has continued to grow, and recently it’s gotten even worse.

“Our numbers are going up because of the economic conditions that we have. When funding is taken away from children and food, it really impacts our families,” she says.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Florida is one of about a dozen states that decided to opt out of a new federal benefit called Sun Bucks or summer EBT.

It provides eligible families $120 per child to buy groceries during the summer. But the state would have had to cover 50% of the administrative costs.

Royal says without this benefit, more families have had to turn to KidsPack for help.

She says that is causing a strain on the non-profit which is not federally, or state funded. Instead, they rely on sponsors. 

“It really impacts our families, which in turn impacts our children, which in turn impacts every organization that is feeding families or children," Royal said.

Over 150 organizations from across the state have signed a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Department of Children and Families, urging the state to participate in the program next summer. They would need to apply by Aug. 15.

“Children are still hungry during the summer, children are still homeless during the summer, and they still need to eat during the summer,” says Royal.

Whether the state reconsiders or not, Royal says it won’t change the need.

So, she says at KidsPack, they will continue to pack up and distribute as much food as they can.

Spectrum Bay News 9 reached out to Florida’s Department of Children and Families for comment and it issued a statement, saying existing programs are enough.

They also say the federal program came with "strings attached" in the form of operational costs that would be shared with the state.