Families can get help buying groceries this summer through a new state program

Applications are now open for families to get extra help with buying groceries this summer as part of the Indiana Department of Education’s new initiative to help fight child hunger while kids are out of school.

Eligible families can now apply for the state’s SUN Bucks program, which will give families a one-time payment of $120 for each eligible school-aged child in the home.

School breakfasts and lunches are some of the biggest meal providers for children in the country and state officials want to fill the gap that some families may face during the summer months.

Children meet eligibility requirements if:

• The household already participates in SNAP, TANF, or income-based Medicaid, or
• The student has been identified as a ward of the state (foster child), homeless, or migrant, or
• The student attends a school that offers the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and the household income meets the requirements for free or reduced-price school meals. 

The SUN Bucks will be provided to eligible families on a separate EBT card and mailed directly to their home.

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The card can be used at authorized retailers like grocery stores and farmers markets. Families who receive free summer meals at a local community site are also eligible to sign up for the SUN Bucks.

Most families who are eligible to receive the SUN Bucks will be automatically notified by their child’s school.

The families who will need to apply for the program include:

• Households with children attending a school operating the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), where all meals are free to students, and who have not been notified of automatic SUN Bucks eligibility.
• Households with children attending a school operating NSLP who were not approved for free or reduced meals during the school year. 
• Households with children who do not attend a school operating NSLP and who receive SNAP, TANF, certain levels of income-based Medicaid, or are foster, migrant, or homeless.

In order to receive the benefits before the start of summer, families should submit their applications before May 1.

The SUN Bucks program is funded by the state and the United States Department of Agriculture.

Families can go to indianasunbucks.com to complete the online application form.