NASHVILLE– The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) has announced the Lee Administration’s new proposed investment of $3 million to reach families in need on Friday. If approved by the Tennessee General Assembly, the department will provide a $120 one-time payment to eligible children in SNAP and TANF households in underserved or unserved counties identified by the Summer Food Service Program.
“With this innovative step, we will go even further to provide food security to Tennessee children,” said TDHS Commissioner Clarence H. Carter. “This approach will deliver a fiscally responsible strategy to reach families in underserved communities in the summer months.”
The program will use existing EBT cards to provide the one-time payment to families.
The $3 million investment to bolster the Summer Food Service Program will be included in Governor Lee’s FY25-26 budget amendment. Additional information will be shared in the coming months regarding distribution dates and other program details.
The following will be eligible for this addition to the summer food program:
- Families First or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program households with at least one (1) school-aged child between the ages of five (5) and eighteen (18)
- Residing in one of the Tennessee counties identified as unserved or underserved by the Summer Food Service Program:
Unserved CountiesHouston, Humphreys, Marshall, Moore, Sequatchie, & SumnerUnderserved CountiesBenton, Carroll, Carter, Cocke, Fayette, Grainger, Johnson, Lauderdale, & Rhea
Background on Tennessee’s existing food assistance programs:
The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) offers a number of vital food assistance programs, including the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
- The Summer Food Service Program, which the Lee Administration has proposed to bolster with the new $3 million investment, recently expanded to include rural non-congregate meal sites to ensure that all families, regardless of their circumstances, have access to nutritious food. Last year, the department approved over 1,350 SFSP meal sites across the state and served approximately 3.4 million meals to children. For more information, please visit the Summer Food Service Program website.
- The Tennessee Department of Education, a key partner with the Tennessee Department of Human Services, also administers the Seamless Summer Feeding Option program that allows School Food Authorities (SFAs) to provide free meals to qualified low-income areas during traditional summer vacation or with state agency approval on balanced calendar breaks greater than ten days. For more information on this program, please visit: https://www.tn.gov/education/districts/snp-resources/snp-programs.html.
- Additionally, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) continues to provide crucial support to children and families throughout the state, ensuring that no one is left without access to essential food resources. The SNAP program serves over 300,000 children and continues to be an essential program to provide needed food benefits to children and families in Tennessee. For more information on the SNAP program, please visit the TDHS website.
ABOUT THE TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES (TDHS)
The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) consists of multiple divisions with a unified mission to strengthen Tennessee by strengthening Tennesseans. Led by governor-appointed Commissioner Clarence H. Carter, TDHS serves nearly two million Tennesseans to ensure that all state residents have an opportunity to reach their full potential as contributing members of their community. Among the many services and programs provided by TDHS, some of the leading programs include the Child Support Program, Child and Adult Day Services and Licensing, Families First (the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Rehabilitation Services for people with disabilities, and Adult Protective Services, along with many others. TDHS is an organization committed to connecting people to resources that help individuals, families and communities thrive towards long-term economic freedom and prosperity. For more information, please visit: Tennessee Department of Human Services.
