Battling Food Insecurity in Georgia

The 7-year-old boy took great pride in the houseplant he’d potted during a gardening lesson at the Rome YMCA, a second home for the child who comes almost every day, especially in the summer when he can get meals while school is out.

“Be sure to water it,” a staffer reminded him as he left for the day with the plant in his hands.

“We don’t have water,” the boy responded. Unable to pay the bills, the family had lost service. Showering and brushing teeth required a trip to an extended family member’s home.

“That’s what life looks like for a lot of our families,” says Amanda White, the director of anti-hunger initiatives at the YMCA of Rome and Floyd County.

Each day over the summer, the Rome Y feeds more than 600 children. More than 100 children attend sessions daily at two sites where they enjoy nutritious meals and enriching activities – like the garden club attended by the 7-year-old boy. Hundreds more are fed at rural pickup locations in areas of high need.

The rural hubs were a recent expansion made possible by grants from the USDA and private giving. White says a local high school coach served as one inspiration for this effort after he approached the Y for help because many players on his team weren’t getting enough food during the summer months.

This $5 million investment will pay dividends that go far beyond financial considerations.

In 2023, White says the Rome Y served just over 1,000 meals. In the summer of 2024, after implementation of the new rural pickup option, she says it served just over 4,000 meals. By the summer of 2025, that rose to 23,000 meals. This summer, it provided more than 70,000 meals. The rural pickup model has expanded its reach and has been incredibly impactful for families because it reduces transportation burdens. Families only must travel once a week, and many can carpool.

The need in Floyd County isn’t an outlier. It’s representative of the state, where more than 1 million public school children are eligible for free or reduced lunches at school. That said, these resources aren’t necessarily available in all communities.

So while many Georgia kids are bemoaning the return to school, with its early mornings, structure and the labor of learning, many others are relieved at the resumption of regular meals.

The General Assembly this year took a big step toward helping these families – families that despite full work schedules can’t keep up with the cost of living. The state budget passed by legislators included a downpayment on a federal program called SUN Bucks, which provides summer stipends for food to children who receive free or reduced meals during the year.

The budget plan included $2 million of the eventual $5 million the state would need to ante up to draw down $143 million in federal funds for the program. It’s an incredible return on investment and benefits a community broadly by churning new revenues into local grocery stores and farmers markets.

Though these amounts are a pittance in a $38.5 billion overall budget, Gov. Brian Kemp vetoed this spending. Onlookers should not see Kemp veto as a judgment against the merits of the program.

Overall, he axed $300 million in spending approved by the legislative branch, arguing that new tax cuts would reduce revenues and create a structural deficit next year if new spending programs went forward. In fact, numerous sympathetic groups, from nursing home residents to homeless veterans, lost funding upon Kemp’s signature.

We fiscal conservatives appreciate Kemp’s budget discipline and the understanding that letting hardworking Georgians keep more of what they earn also means trade-offs.

When the 2027 legislative session begins, we’ll have new budget leadership under a new governor and a General Assembly that will have undergone much turnover, particularly in the state Senate where a new lieutenant governor will preside and many new members are coming in.

If our economy continues to bring strong revenue growth, the yet-to-be-named governor and legislators will have a chance in the amended budget to restore funding that will bring far more money to Georgia than the state’s share.

In polling, Georgians have declared for several years affordability as their top concern, as rising costs have outpaced wage increases. While many Georgia families are thriving, many of our children are struggling through no fault of their own. We know hunger leads to learning loss and keeps some kids from fulfilling their potential.

This $5 million investment will pay dividends that go far beyond financial considerations. Legislators, you’d be wise to take note.