At age 55, Dr. Karla Lester said, she is just now able to talk publicly about her childhood shame: hunger.
Speaking Thursday to a legislative committee, the Lincoln pediatrician was among 17 proponents who urged lawmakers to adopt a proposal — against Gov. Jim Pillen’s wishes — that would require Nebraska to participate in the national Summer EBT food program for kids.
The program, which would provide an estimated $18 million in grocery-buying federal funds to about 150,000 low-income Nebraska youths, has become a high-profile hot potato. Pillen has objected to the state joining the program, saying he did not “believe in welfare.”