Author: Sarah Stripp

Sarah Stripp is the managing director for Springboard To Opportunities, a nonprofit organization in Jackson, Miss., that works with residents in affordable housing reach their goals in school, work and life. In the fall of 2018, Springboard To Opportunities announced The Magnolia Mother’s Trust, a new initiative that provides low-income, Black mothers in Jackson, Mississippi $1,000 cash on a monthly basis, no strings attached, for 12 months straight.

In Mississippi, Parents and Community Groups Are Feeding the Kids the State Left Behind

For three years now, the state of Mississippi has chosen to opt out of Summer EBT, now called SUN Bucks, which is a federally funded program that would provide an additional $120 in grocery benefits per child to families who qualify for free and reduced lunches. The decision means that this summer, 324,000 Mississippi children will go without these benefits—joining more than 9 million kids nationwide who are left hungry because of political choices, not policy gaps.

For the past two summers, Jackson-based nonprofit Springboard to Opportunities has stepped in with its own summer cash program to fill the gap—providing direct cash assistance to families, trusting them to make the best choices for their children.

As we mark Black History Month, we’re reminded that the story of food insecurity in Mississippi, and across this country, is also a story about structural racism.

When 15 States Opt Out of a Summer Food Program, Community Organizations Must Fill in the Gaps

We were extremely disappointed by the decision of Mississippi and 14 other states last week to opt-out of a new summer EBT program that would have provided each eligible family with $40 per month per child during the summer to help cover the additional costs of food. For a mother working full-time at minimum wage (approximately $1,160 each month), that $40 could make a huge difference.

Once again, we are reminded that poverty, and all its consequences, are the result of policy choices. But when policy choices put an undue burden on our families, we know that it is our time to step into the gap.