An estimated 2 million Florida children could have benefited from more than $258 million in aid this summer if state officials hadn’t turned it down. Nationwide, roughly 21 million kids are being fed by the program this year.
“We anticipate that our state’s full approach to serving children will continue to be successful this year without any additional federal programs that inherently always come with some federal strings attached,” spokesperson Mallory McManus said.
A recent report by the United Way found that nearly half of Florida families are struggling to make ends meet. Food bank operators say that although demand has stabilized since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need still exceeds pre-pandemic levels, as families grapple with inflation.
Advocates are urging state officials to apply to participate in the program next summer. States face an initial deadline of Aug. 15 to notify the federal government of their intent to participate, with a subsequent deadline of Feb. 15.
