In an effort to support families during the summer months, the New Mexico Health Care Authority has launched a new food assistance program, expanding support to students during the summer. Under this initiative, known as SUN Bucks, known as summer SNAP benefits, approximately 275,000 students will benefit from an increase in resources allocated to food purchases.
Kari Armijo, cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Health Care Authority, said, “Summer should be a time of joy and growth for our children, not a time of worrying about where their next meal is going to come from. SUN Bucks will help bridge the gap, ensuring families have the resources to keep their children healthy and thriving.”
Extra $120 Summer SNAP Benefits in New Mexico
The SUN Bucks program will provide $120 for each eligible child for food expenses during the summer holidays. The benefits will be automatically awarded to most families, although some will need to complete an application to receive the support.
“In addition to the free meals available at summer meal sites, the SUN Bucks program aims to support families by stretching their grocery budgets during these months,” the official statement notes.
The benefits will be available to school-aged children, between the ages of 5 and 18, who have been beneficiaries of social assistance programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) and various forms of Medicaid from July 1, 2023 to August 1. Most SUN Bucks cards will be mailed on August 5th, in the amount of $120 per child.
For those who do not receive the cards by August 30, 2024, they are instructed to visit summerebtnm.org to check the eligibility requirements as the summer concludes three weeks later.
Arsenio Romero, Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Public Education, stressed, “Our goal is to ensure that all New Mexico children have access to the nutrition they need to succeed, both in and out of school. The SUN Bucks program is critical to supporting our families and communities throughout New Mexico.”
So far, the state authorities have not responded to inquiries about the total cost of the program and the source of the funds used to finance it.
SUN Bucks Benefits Also Available for Families in California
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that the SUN Bucks program, a new federal initiative, has provided food assistance to more than 3,240,000 low-income children and their families during summer vacation in California. The program has enabled families across the state to make food purchases totaling more than $162 million, and it is anticipated that more than five million cards will be distributed in the coming months to support both children and local economies.
“In California, we will never stand idly by and allow our children to go hungry just because there are no classes. I’m happy to see so many families being fed by the SUN Bucks program, and furious that more than a dozen Republican governors are denying that same assistance to low-income children in their states. I am proud that California is partnering with the Biden-Harris Administration to provide SUN Bucks to our families so that no child goes hungry during the summer months,” Newsom said.
SUN Bucks Operate During Summer Months, When Schools Are Closed
The SUN Bucks program seeks to ensure that the summer holidays are not only a season of fun and growth, but also of proper nutrition for all children in California. The implementation of the program has been done in collaboration with the Biden-Harris Administration to address food insecurity and ensure that families have the necessary resources to feed their children while schools are closed.
Most families eligible to receive SUN Bucks did not have to go through any additional paperwork. Children who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals, or who already receive CalFresh, CalWORKs, or Medi-Cal benefits, were automatically enrolled. Beneficiaries are receiving electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards that work similarly to CalFresh benefits for food purchases. Each SUN Bucks card offers $120 per child, spread over $40 per month for the three summer months.
This new program was established by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) in conjunction with the California Department of Education (CDE). In addition to SUN Bucks, Summer Meal Programs continue to provide opportunities for children in need to access meals during the summer. Families can find meal sites in their communities by using the CA Meals for Kids app or by visiting the Summer Meal Service Sites webpage.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, passed in December 2022, created a new permanent summer EBT program, known as SUN Bucks, which began implementation in July 2023. California Assembly Bill 120 designated the CDSS as the agency charged with implementing the program, in collaboration with the CDE, with the goal of maximizing participation in the program by the summer of 2024.
