NEW ORLEANS — Governor Jeff Landry has announced the state will not accept federal funding to supply free breakfasts and lunches to kids when they're out of school this summer.
The state was set to get over $70 million as part of the summer EBT program. City Councilwoman Helena Moreno says she wrote to the Department of Children and Family Services pleading with the state to reconsider the decision and accept the money.
The Summer EBT program – is a program that feeds students when school is out of session. Louisiana however is one of 15 states that opted out of the program this year.
Latoya Douglas is a mother who has used the program in the past, she told without this program, "The kids won't eat. It's plain and simple. They won't eat."
Now with Aligned Nola, a non-profit that helps Orleans Parish parents navigate the educational system, she says with grocery prices skyrocketing parents are struggling to feed their kids.
"A lot of kids depend on their lunch and their breakfast that said school," she said.
She went on to say, "It's extremely hard to even get key staples, like fruits, fresh fruits and vegetables for your kids."
Families get $40 per month per eligible child through this program. New Orleans City Councilwoman Helena Moreno says it fills a gap for families when kids aren't in school. Moreno said, "At this point, Louisiana will not be receiving this funding for the summer of 2024."
The councilwoman went on to say, "In the state of Louisiana where there are 27% of families living in poverty, here in the city of New Orleans two out of five are living in poverty."
Moreno is now pushing the Governor to change his decision, saying, "If that is not possible, what I am requesting is where cities are interested in receiving this money, can the state say, we're going to receive the money but only on a limited fashion but only for the cities that want it."
Congressman Troy Carter went on to say, "We will have nearly 600,000 children who will go without supplemental nutrition during the time when families need it most."
The Congressman went on to say this decision should not be a political one, saying, "We should not have our children in the middle of what can be construed as a political play"
The Congressman has been in contact with the Governor and says he's hoping he changes his mind ahead of tomorrow's deadline.
"I'm hopeful that the governor will reverse course and do as Nebraska's governor did. And resend his earlier denial and accept these badly needed funds for the children of Louisiana."
In a statement, the Louisiana Department of Education said:
"At the conclusion of 2023, the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) declined to sign a NOI to administer a new federal Summer EBT meals program. LDOE considered it improper to commit Governor Landry and a new legislature to millions of dollars in increased spending toward a new government program. Additionally, LDOE determined that existing meal programs, such as SNAP, WIC, SFSP, and SSO, would remain in effect during the summer of 2024. Further, LDOE secured confirmation from the USDA that Louisiana could still enter into the Summer EBT program beyond January 1."
We reached out to the Governor's office twice on Wednesday and has yet to hear back.