Human Services Secretary Val Arkoosh speaks about the Sun Bucks program in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on August 8, 2024. (Source: Commonwealth Media Services)
Applications will be accepted through the end of the month for a new program that will provide fresh food to low-income children during the 2025 summer vacation, the state Department of Human Services said Thursday.
The federally funded initiative, called Sun Bucks, provides $120 per child in the household on an electronic benefit card. Students who participate in free or reduced lunch and families on food stamps receive the money automatically.
Those who do not participate in any of the programs can still apply for benefits online.
“The Shapiro administration is committed to helping parents have the resources they need to feed their children so they can grow and thrive,” said Secretary of Human Services Val Arkoosh during a press conference in Harrisburg. “The new SUN Bucks program will provide eligible households with critical funds to bridge the gap during summer vacation and ensure children have enough to eat.”
An estimated 1.2 million children in Pennsylvania are eligible for the program, the department said.
“We’ve all experienced the inconvenience of hunger,” says Arkoosh. “But many of us are privileged enough to know that it’s only a temporary feeling.”
Congress first authorized Sun Bucks, or the Summer EBT program, in 2022, although this is the first year benefits have been provided.
Khalid Mumin, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education, drew parallels between summer-related learning losses and the food shortages that many children may face during the extended holidays.
“Students can also fall behind if they don’t have access to healthy and nutritious foods during the summer months,” he said.
