Pathways Forward: The Fight to End Child Hunger in Tennessee

Tennessee's 114th General Assembly and the 2026 legislative session have officially ended. While the session did not result in increased free school meal access or a legislated requirement for Tennessee to annually opt in to the Summer EBT (S-EBT) program, the Tennessee Justice Center and our partners continue to build a road for future policy wins. Each legislative session illuminates opportunities for progress and encourages us to persevere in the fight against child hunger.  

Why S-EBT and School Meals? 

1 in 5 children are food insecure in Tennessee, meaning there are hungry children in every county. School meals and S-EBT are important lines of defense for addressing child hunger. School meals can often be the only food a child eats that day or during the week, resulting in children showing up to school on Monday hungry. Children can’t learn on an empty stomach, and school meals are just as important to students’ academic success as textbooks and buses. Just like books and buses, school meals should be offered at no cost to students.  

When summer break arrives and school meals are not available, S-EBT helps fill the gap. Summer EBT, also known as SUN Bucks, is a federal program that provides grocery benefits to families with eligible school-aged children during the summer months when school is not in session. S-EBT helps reduce childhood hunger by providing $120 per eligible child to help families buy groceries. 

S-EBT Legislation 

While multiple bills around S-EBT were filed this legislative session, TJC focused on HB1835/SB1911. The bill would require Tennessee to apply to the S-EBT program each year that it is available. The bill gained bi-partisan support with 32 co-sponsors and unanimous passage in all committees where it was presented.  

Ultimately, HB1835/SB1911 did not receive funding; however, the General Assembly did allocate $7 million to operate S-EBT in 2027. 

School Meals Legislation 

Consistent with the previous year, the school meals bill HB1153/SB740 continued to be a major focus for the Tennessee Justice Center in 2026. The bill would have increased access to free school meals by increasing the income threshold to qualify for no-cost school meals, therefore eliminating the reduced-price category. In 2025, the bill passed with majority support in committees and was placed behind the budget. In 2026, the bill gained additional sponsors and maintained bi-partisan support with a total of 25 co-sponsors. However, HB1135/SB740 was not funded.  

Final Reflections 

During this 2026 legislative session, the Tennessee Justice Center, alongside community partners across the state, led a tireless, urgent fight to keep child nutrition at the forefront of the legislative agenda. We successfully elevated awareness of the growing need facing Tennessee families and encouraged lawmakers to take critical steps towards addressing food insecurity.  

While the legislature approved $7 million in funding for S-EBT beginning in 2027, acknowledging the importance in addressing child summer hunger, families across Tennessee are experiencing hunger now. According to the 2026 Vanderbilt Child Health Poll, more than a third of Tennessee families lack consistent access to food. This underscores the need for more permanent solutions to ensure children and their families have reliable access to food needed to survive. 

This year’s progress would not have been possible without the support of partners around the state, including but not limited to the 58 county mayors who signed on in support of Summer EBT, the American Heart Association, Second Harvest Foodbank of Northeast Tennessee, Save the Child Action Network, Tennessee School Nutrition Association, EdTrust Tennessee, Share Our Strength, the Cancer Action Network, the Urban Child Institute, the hundreds of individuals who contacted their legislators, and countless more.  

We are so grateful to be in this fight with you. See you next year.  

If you are interested in joining us in this work, join the Healthy Meals Healthy Kids coalition for our monthly partner updates.