The deadline is approaching for families to apply for food benefits in Washington state.
The national program known as SUN Bucks is the U-S Department of Agriculture's summer EBT program, which was created during the pandemic and made permanent this year. Most families were automatically eligible for the program, which provides a one-time payment of $120 per child in a household. Families who did not receive the benefit and believe they are eligible can apply through Saturday.
Norah West, assistant director of the Office of Communications and Government Affairs for the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, said many students get meals through school.
"Having kids be out of school during the summer months makes it a little harder to get access to that nutritious food, and the price of groceries are not going down," West pointed out. "We're pleased to be able to offer even a small amount of assistance to folks."
Kids were automatically enrolled in the program if they are at a school in the National School Lunch Program and qualified with a meal application or Family Income Survey, or they're between age eight and 18 and in a house qualifying for benefits like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
Families meeting the National School Lunch Program's income eligibility guidelines for free or reduced-price meals can apply for SUN Bucks. In Washington state, more than 580,000 kids have received benefits this summer, totaling nearly $69 million. West noted the USDA has other summer meal programs as well.
"The federal government also offers two other programs called Sun Meals and Sun Meals to Go through school districts, and those are on site meal programs or in some rural areas," West outlined. "People may have the option to go to a site and pick up food and take it with them."
This summer, 37 states chose to participate in the SUN Bucks program.
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The University of Nebraska is addressing a shortage of lawyers who represent the state's most vulnerable children, especially in rural areas.
The attorneys are being equipped to work with kids who have suffered through physical, emotional, or financial trauma - and are often living in poverty.
Of Nebraska's 5,500 licensed attorneys, only 7% of them practice in rural areas.
Michelle Paxton, director of the Nebraska Children's Justice and Legal Advocacy Center, said two thirds of child neglect and abuse cases originate outside the Lincoln and Omaha metro areas, in what she calls "rural legal deserts."
"We have twelve counties in Nebraska with zero attorneys living in those counties," said Paxton. "We have 22 with less than three."
Paxton said that there are too few qualified rural child justice attorneys, which means lawyers may drive hundreds of miles for juvenile cases, creating delays and court backlogs.
The University of Nebraska program will add lawyers trained to handle issues unique to children in low-income families.
Attorneys who work on juvenile court cases are getting the tailored knowledge they need, but Paxton added that the program is also creating an opportunity for those attorneys to network and get support from other lawyers in the field - who are often isolated.
"And so they don't often have another attorney doing this type of work that they can rely on for support and mentorship," said Paxton, "and our program provides that support and mentorship so that they are not only willing to continue working in juvenile court, increase their hours in juvenile court and increase their commitment. "
The advocacy center will also develop a case-tracking tool, enabling people to find an attorney online.
Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.
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Statistics show one in five children in Texas struggles with hunger.
Approximately 10,000 students a day are getting a nutritious meal through the Summer Food Service Program offered by the Houston Food Bank. The meals are distributed across the food bank's 18-county region.
Jourdan Stansberry, senior manager of education programs for Houston Food Bank, said they partner with summer camps, churches and other nonprofit organizations to serve the students. She added anyone who is not near a meal site can take advantage of their non-congregate option.
"Sites that are considered rural by the Texas Department of Agriculture," Stansberry explained. "It's a grab-and-go model where families can pick up the meals, It's like a five-day bundle of frozen meals, breakfast and snacks, so 10 meals all together. They're able to pick it up and take it home."
Locations of the meal sites in the Houston area and across Texas are available at the Department of Agriculture's Summer Meal Site Map. The meals are available to anyone 18 years old or younger or students with a disability, up to 21 years old.
The meals are distributed at more than 250 sites around the Houston area. Students do not have to register to take advantage of the meals. Stansbury emphasized it is a great way to ensure kids have access to fresh fruits and vegetables during the summer. She added the menus consist of more than just a sandwich and chips.
"One thing that I know has been pretty popular is our orange chicken with rice, and we also have broccoli, vegetable-medley side that goes along with that. We saw also chicken tikka masala," Stansbury outlined. "We try to expose them to different meals, not only healthwise but also culturally."
The Houston Food Bank expects to distribute around 800,000 meals this summer. The meal program runs through Aug. 8.
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When South Dakota's new budget kicks in this week, there will be money to address potential funding shortfalls for rape kits. At the same time, a key lawmaker says he's looking at other improvements.
The Legislature has set aside $180,000 for purchasing, storing, and distributing sexual-assault kits. These are packages of items used to collect evidence after an attack with the contents sent to a lab for testing.
State Sen. Tim Reed, R-Brookings, said he pushed for the bill amid funding uncertainty for a federal program that covers those costs.
He said maintaining supplies aids investigations, while serving as a training tool for hospital staff who assist survivors.
"It's a little different than a medical examination, because you are collecting evidence," said Reed. "Yet, it's still a medical situation because the victim has been assaulted. And so, it's really critical that we have the best trained nurses to do that."
He said that's the case for all victims, but is especially important for situations where a minor is sexually assaulted.
Reed chairs the advisory board for the Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment, which prioritizes hospital training and access regarding the kits.
Before next session, Reed said he's looking at possible ways to improve tracking of evidence after it's processed.
National watchdogs say South Dakota has made progress in reducing its backlog of rape kits, but its approach to tracking them still lags behind.
Reed said he agrees that other reforms are needed, so that investigations aren't fizzling out.
"What we've found, though, is we don't track those kits very well through the whole system," said Reed. "How many of those cases were actually prosecuted?"
As for preventing child sexual abuse, the Annie E. Casey Foundation recently noted that promoting internet safety for teens should be a key part of such efforts.
It says teens need to understand and identify how online predators may attempt to gradually build trust.
Those experts also stress the importance of never meeting online contacts in person without a trusted adult.
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