Dear Bill Lee: Please Read the Letter
And then do the right thing and feed kids in Summer 2026
Last year, Gov. Bill Lee rejected the Summer EBT/Sun Bucks program that provides extra SNAP funds for families during the summer to make up for the lack of free/reduced-cost school meals.
Instead, Lee used state funds to create a smaller program that only served a few counties and a few thousand kids.
The fully-funded program paid for with federal dollars provided assistance for 700,000 kids.
Now, the time to make a decision about 2026 is approaching.
Across the state, people are calling on Lee to do the right thing - to feed hungry kids in all 95 counties in 2026.
In addition to County Mayors, a group of 314 pastors from around Tennessee sent a letter to Lee asking him to accept the federal funds and ensure kids are fed.
Here’s the full text of the letter, organized by the Southern Christian Coalition:
Dear Governor Lee,
We respectfully write to you to implore you to take immediate action to address the nutrition needs of Tennessee’s most vulnerable children. We write not merely as constituents, but as people of faith. We recognize and appreciate your public commitment to leading our state with a heart for the “least of these,” and it is in this spirit of shared moral responsibility that we—314 faith leaders from across the state—petition you to intervene for the 700,000 children in Tennessee whose health and future depend on a decision that must be made before January 1.
As shepherds of our communities, we are guided by the mandate Scripture gives us: to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves” and to “defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:8–9). We see daily that for the children among us, summer should be a time of Sabbath and play; instead, it has become a season of scarcity.
We view stewardship not merely as the management of state funds, but as the wise exercise of power and responsibility to achieve the greatest good. We see an opportunity for Tennessee to reclaim its role as a leader in child welfare by choosing the most effective path for our resources:
The Federal Match Path (2024): By spending $5 million in state administrative costs, Tennessee unlocked an $80 million federal match to feed 700,000 children in all 95 counties.
The State-Only Path (2025): The state spent nearly the same amount ($5 million) but declined the federal match. Without those additional funds, the program reached only 18,000 children in 15 counties.
Governor, we urge you to lead us away from historical patterns where resources exist, but administrative barriers keep them from the poor. As clergy, we feel called to speak for these children because they have no vote, no political leverage, and no advocates of their own in the halls of power. By returning to the federal Summer EBT program for 2026, you would be exercising a high form of stewardship—using the tools of government to unlock a table that has already been set for those in need.
The January 1 deadline is a moment for decisive action. We respectfully urge you to notify federal officials of Tennessee’s participation in the 2026 Summer EBT program, ensuring that no child in the Volunteer State suffers the trauma of hunger while the key to their relief is within our reach.
Thank you for considering our concerns and for your service to all of the people of our state.