In March 2025, No Kid Hungry launched a SNAP Parent and Caregiver Advisory Council with implementation assistance from the National Parent Leadership Institute. This council focuses on informing No Kid Hungry's SNAP strategies and lending a parent and caregiver perspective to our work. This blog is the second in a series of profiles on each of the nine council members in our SNAP Parent and Caregiver Advisory Council.
Meet Anthony Bonner
Anthony is a father of four, two boys and two girls. He is the full-time father of his 13-year-old son, Braylon. Their summer includes art, music, and food at the many Memphis summer festivals and fairs. Memphis is often called the birthplace of American music, and for good reason. Known as the home of blues, soul, and rock 'n' roll, the city has shaped the sound of generations. Beale Street's blues clubs, the legendary Sun Studio, where Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and B.B. King recorded, and the iconic Stax Records that launched soul music into the spotlight all mark Memphis as a cultural hub. Music isn't just history here; it's alive in the city's festivals, live venues, and street performances that Anthony and his family enjoy. A favorite is the free summer concert series at the Overton Park Shell.
Anthony loves Memphis not just for the music but also for its constant growth and grit. He describes the people as hardworking, kind, and always looking for ways to improve their beloved city. Anthony is no different. He is a parent advocate working to protect SNAP access and expand Summer EBT access for families like his.
Providing nutritious and delicious meals for his children is one of Anthony's biggest passions, and he attributes his grandmother as his muse and inspiration in the kitchen. "SNAP benefits are crucial." Anthony believes that SNAP benefits build up a family's ability to be self-sustaining. "Now [he is] able to do more grocery shopping, create multiple meals, and meal plan more." With grocery prices rising, SNAP benefits make it possible for Anthony's family to cook healthy meals at home that meet the growing demand of a 13-year-old's stomach.
While summertime offers a chance to create lasting family memories, it also brings unique challenges to parents, especially those who rely on free and reduced-price school meals like Anthony. Summer meal sites and Summer EBT (Sun Bucks) have been crucial tools to help fight summer hunger for children. Tennessee's Summer Nutrition Initiative is a program that Tennessee started after opting out of the federal Summer EBT benefits. The Initiative provides a one-time payment of $120 to families of children aged 5-18 who were members of a SNAP or Families First case as of May 31st, 2025. The Initiative is similar to the federal S-EBT program, except it is only available in 15 of Tennessee's 95 counties.
Shelby County, where Memphis is located, is not included in one of those 15 counties, which means Anthony's children didn't receive Summer EBT benefits this summer.
"A lot of families didn't realize it until the end of June or July, when benefits didn't come, that the program ended for us." Anthony learned about the shift in programmatic focus communities through a community partner advocating for families. As soon as he heard about it, he began spreading the word in his community and finding ways to speak out about the importance of Summer EBT for all families in Tennessee.
"It's a little more money to stretch your SNAP dollars longer throughout the month. In July, I saw a spike in grocery prices, and even with budget shopping, choices were limited because of cost. Healthier choices that my son enjoys, we couldn't afford."
Summer meals can help fill the gap for many families like Anthony's, but they don't address families' favorite part of the Summer EBT program, choice.
After COVID, Anthony's daughter, Payton, lived with him and received EBT. Anthony and Payton were able to grocery shop together to buy ingredients for meals Payton enjoys, and unlocked a new passion for cooking in Payton. "It motivated [Payton] to go into the kitchen and whip something up. It gives kids some power over what they put in their mouths. Loss of choice means losing kids' excitement about choosing their own meals."
Summer should be a time of fun and exploration for kids. Summer EBT helps give kids access to healthy food that fuels that excitement. Older kids like Payton can even bring that exploration into the kitchen, learning to cook and care for their nutrition. Anthony advocates for programs like SNAP and Summer EBT to ensure families like his can focus on enjoying their summer and not only on how they will budget for their next week's meals.
