This summer, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will continue to deliver food to families with dependent children through the SUN Bucks program, which will help about 500,000 children across the United States access food during the summer months.
The idea of this project is that school-age children continue to have food despite being on summer holidays and thus prevent them from falling into risk of malnutrition. As explained by program officials, each eligible child will receive up to $120 in a one-time payment that will be charged to the new SUN Bucks cards and sent to the emails of qualified people starting at the beginning of June, when the summer season already begins.
In addition, children ages 8 to 18 in households receiving SNAP benefits, Food Assistance Programs (FAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or state financial assistance (SFA) do not need to apply because they automatically qualify. They just have to wait for the notification of the arrival of their SUN Bucks card.
Children That Don’t Qualify Automatically for SUN Bucks: How to Apply?
For those who do not qualify automatically, everything’s not lost. An application process is available online. They must meet a number of requirements, starting with the school’s participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), part of the School Breakfast Program (SBP).
Please use your county’s SUN Bucks 2024 School Search Tool to check if your child’s school participates in the NSLP or is a CEP school.
In addition, families who apply must have a low income, since this program is designed to help those families who need it most and who are at financial risk. Find out from your children’s school if they are participants in the programs mentioned above and if they may qualify to receive the SUN Bucks.
Children who are not enrolled in NSLP participating schools are not eligible to apply for SUN Bucks; however, a student attending a non-NSLP school may still receive SUN Bucks if they meet one of the requirements listed below:
A Student Will Be Automatically Approved if They Meet Any of These Criteria
- They applied for and were approved to receive free or reduced-price meals at the school for the 2023-2024 school year.
- Your family receives assistance through Food and Nutrition Services (FNS, also known as food stamps).
- Your family is part of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which is a cash assistance program.
- The family is eligible for Medicaid and the family income is below 185% of the federal poverty level.
Or they are placed in foster homes.
Students who attend virtual, homeschool, or hybrid schools may qualify for SUN Bucks if they meet any of the criteria listed.
From now on, families can get help through the contact phone line 1-833-543-3230 (TTY: 1-800-833-6348), available from 08:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday, except holidays.
Check with the school in your jurisdiction to find out if your child qualifies for these extra food stamps during the summer. Once school restarts, you will receive the corresponding breakfast or lunch meals again, depending on the programs in which the school is enrolled.