Thousands more children are expected to go hungry this summer as a growing number of states and cities decline federal summer food dollars, are slashing their own offerings or reaching capacity earlier than expected. More than 40 percent of summer meal participants are children ages 5 to 8.

Thirteen states, all led by Republican governors, opted out of the federal SUN Bucks program this summer, which launched in 2024 and provides $120 in grocery benefits for eligible school-aged children during the months when school is out. Those states include Indiana, where last year, 669,000 children received SUN Bucks benefits, and Tennessee, which would have received $70 million in federal funds for the program. 

Instead of spending $6 million in state funds to administer the federal program, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee proposed a $3 million state-funded summer food program. That program will feed about 4 percent of the 700,000 children who were served by SUN Bucks last year. In Montana, legislators turned down nearly $20 million in federal funds, claiming the program is duplicative of other existing programs. 

“I think something people don’t always recognize is that summer is the hungriest time of year for families,” said Rachel Sabella, director of the nonprofit No Kid Hungry New York. SUN Bucks in particular gives families more flexibility during the summer to access food, she added.

Cities and school districts have also announced cuts or limits to summer meals. Clarissa Doutherd, a parent and family advocate in Oakland, was stunned when she heard the news this spring that her town’s summer food program would be canceled. In Oakland, California, where the cost of living far exceeds the national average and about 33,000 children rely on free or reduced-price meals during the school year, she knew thousands of children would go without meals. 

“The idea that in the city of Oakland, children could possibly go hungry, that our most vulnerable families would be at risk of hunger, is unimaginable,” said Doutherd, who is executive director of Parent Voices Oakland, a grassroots organization.

In Maryland, Anne Arundel County Public Schools, where more than 40 percent of students receive free or reduced-price lunch during the year, will be offering fewer summer meal locations than last year. A summer meal program in Santa Barbara, California, was canceled this year due to budget cuts. And in Dayton, Ohio, summer meal programs are already at capacity, far earlier than in previous years.

Nationwide, 1 in 5 children don’t have enough food each day. Elementary-age children account for the largest group of students who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals, and they are especially vulnerable when out of school. Food insecurity can have long-term consequences, especially for children who experience ongoing hunger early in life. Ongoing hunger has been linked to cognitive and health declines in children, and research shows children who experience food insecurity during the earliest years of school have lower test scores, are more likely to repeat a grade and have more social challenges.

Summer meal programs can ease hunger and food insecurity, but already struggle to reach all children who may need food. Research shows only 15 children out of every 100 that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch during the school year access summer food programs, even before the recent shifts in policy. 

In Oakland, cutting summer meals is short-sighted, Doutherd said, especially at a time when Congress is debating cuts to other federal food benefits. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump canceled a program that brings local food to schools. Food banks are experiencing shortages after some federal funds were cut. And at least 2 million children could experience cuts to their food benefits under Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cuts proposed by Congress. (Changes to SNAP could also affect summer meal eligibility.) Trump’s proposed 2026 budget cuts the amount of money low-income children receive monthly for fruits and vegetables from $26 to $10. 

In New York, Sabella said she has seen community organizations and school districts step up to help fill food gaps this summer. “We are at least seeing communities recognize that families are struggling with economic costs going on, with hunger on the rise,” Sabella said. But these programs are anticipating ongoing challenges as Congress considers more cuts. “If these federal proposals were to go through, we would see hunger rise in every ZIP code across the country,” Sabella said. 

Private donors recently stepped in to help reinstate Oakland’s summer food program. Still, summer meals never should have been considered as a possible cut, Doutherd said. “Families and children deserve better. Whatever savings our city might accomplish, … we will pay for in the future.”

Contact staff writer Jackie Mader at 212-678-3562 or mader@hechingerreport.org. 

This story about summer food programs was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the Hechinger newsletter.