INDIANAPOLIS — A new program in Indiana is making sure students have healthy food options all year around.
The Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program or "Sun bucks" is a statewide benefits program to give students access to healthy food during the summer.
Families will receive an EBT card with a one-time payment of $120 for each eligible school-aged child that can be used at grocery stores, farmers markets and other retailers for healthy groceries.
Additionally, free meals will be provided for children of all ages at free SUN Meals sites in their communities.
Funding for the program was provided by the state and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Children are eligible for the program 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.
Most eligible families will receive benefits automatically and local schools will communicate eligibility to parents and families. Some parents will need to apply. The following households need to complete the online SUN Bucks application:
- 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 that do not attend a school operating NSLP and who receive SNAP, TANF, certain levels of income-based Medicaid, or are foster, migrant, or homeless.
Applications for Sun Bucks are now open. For more information, visit the Sun Bucks website.
